Plants You Should Never Ever Plant Beside Your Cilantro

If you have some experience with gardening, then you've probably already realized that while some plants grow well next to each other (like tomatoes and basil), there are also other plants that should never be planted close (like sage and onions, which are good together in the kitchen but not in the ground and disease-sharing tomatoes and potatoes). Even easy-to-grow garden additions like cilantro should be planted away from certain crops. As an herb that naturally repels pests, cilantro (also known as coriander) is a great companion plant for many other garden veggies including beans, peas, and anything in the legume family, as well as other herbs like mint, parsley, and dill.

However, when it comes to what cilantro does not grow well with, fennel is a big one. Some people think that because fennel and cilantro are both leafy aromatic herbs, they belong together in the garden. The reason these two don't do well together is because fennel is allelopathic. This means that fennel naturally releases a chemical into the surrounding soil that inhibits the growth of nearby plants (black walnut trees also release the same chemical). So, by planting cilantro and fennel together in the garden, you are ensuring that your cilantro's growth will be stunted and you won't end up with as much of this delicious herb.

Before placing cilantro near other herbs in the garden, you should also make sure that the two plants share the same soil and growth requirements. Cilantro typically does best in well-drained, moist soil and partial sun. Cilantro also prefers cool weather and may turn bitter if it is grown in warmer weather (above 85 degrees Fahrenheit). This means that cilantro will not grow well near drought-tolerant hot-weather-loving thyme or rosemary — which is a plant that likes its soil on the drier side because too much moisture can lead to rot and fungal issues. Although rosemary and thyme do grow well together, you will want to plant your cilantro with other water-loving plants, instead.

Another plant that doesn't grow well near cilantro is lavender, and the reason for this is that the two plants have very different soil preferences. While cilantro will thrive in nitrogen-rich loose black garden soil, lavender prefers drier soils that are slightly sandy or gravelly and aren't as nutrient-rich.