Can you plant rosemary and basil together?

Yes, with care. Rosemary and basil are close relatives: both are in the Lamiaceae family, so they share pests and diseases. Nothing we found says they help or harm each other beyond that.

What to watch for

Same family, shared pests. Basil and rosemary are both in the Lamiaceae family, so the same pests and diseases can move from one to the other.
Crop Rotation in the Vegetable Garden (Steil · 2025 · Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Yard and Garden)

What to plant with rosemary and basil

Good neighbours of both, best tested first.

BeanWith rosemary: Recommended by garden charts, not testedWith basil: 21% more harvest
CabbageWith rosemary: Recommended by garden charts, not testedWith basil: 12% more harvest
PepperWith rosemary: Fewer pestsWith basil: Fewer pests

How each one was tested, with the evidence

What to keep away from rosemary and basil

TomatoWith rosemary: Garden charts advise against it, not tested
ThymeWith basil: Garden charts advise against it, not tested

The evidence in detail

For readers who want to dig in: every chart entry, study and yield trial behind the answer above, with the numbers.

Tradition, research and yield trials

Same family, shared pests and diseases. Both in Lamiaceae: often susceptible to the same diseases and insects. Source: Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Yard and Garden

Tradition

No chart mentions this pair.

Research

No papers found on this pair.

Yield trial

No intercropping yield trial.

Same family, careful

What happens above and below ground

Each animation illustrates a mechanism a study reported for this pair. Pick a card to focus on it.

Everything at once.

Companion plants for both rosemary and basil

Plants that are good neighbours of each. Biggest harvest gain first; each cell links to the evidence for that pair.

Plant	With rosemary	With basil
Bean	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for rosemary and beans	Fewer pests21% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 3 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for basil and beans
Cabbage	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for rosemary and cabbage	12% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for basil and cabbage
Pepper	Fewer pestsGreenhouse or pot trial, 2 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for rosemary and peppers	Fewer pests and draws in pest-eating insectsMixed results on harvestField trial, 6 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for basil and peppers

Harvest from the same space compares a bed with both crops against the same area split into single-crop beds, counting the harvest of both crops (the land equivalent ratio in yield trials).

The evidence, with sources

Same familyShares pests1 entry

Both in Lamiaceae: often susceptible to the same diseases and insects
Crop Rotation in the Vegetable Garden (Steil · 2025 · Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Yard and Garden)

Plan a bed with rosemary and basil

All neighbours of rosemary and of basil, or every pair at once in the companion planting chart.

Have you grown rosemary and basil together?

Tell other gardeners what happened: spacing, pests, harvest, or ask a question. Reader notes are not checked by us and do not change the verdicts on this page.