Before we dive into the best essential oils for gardening, let’s chat a bit about your organic garden.
A garden is like a tight-knit community—every part plays a role in keeping the ecosystem thriving. For everything to work the way you want, each piece has to pull its weight.
It All Starts with the Soil
Your soil is the foundation of your organic garden. Healthy soil is packed with nutrients, rich in organic matter, and drains well.
Great gardens have great soil. So if you haven’t already, make sure you’re testing and improving yours as needed. Need some tips? Check out my article on 8 Ways to Improve Your Garden Soil for Free.
Now that we’ve covered that, let’s get back to using essential oils in the garden—whether it’s fighting diseases, keeping pests away, or attracting pollinators.
Organic Gardening:
Did you know essential oils can help your garden thrive? Learn how to use them, plus get easy recipes to start!
9 Best Essential Oils for Gardening
1. Cinnamon Essential Oil
Cinnamon oil works wonders at repelling pests like ants, gnats, and snails—but its real superpower is killing weeds! (Find an easy weed-killer recipe at the end of this article.)
It also helps treat plant fungus!
2. Tea Tree Essential Oil
Another strong antifungal, tea tree oil can be mixed into a spray to tackle blight (common in tomatoes/potatoes) or powdery mildew (a cucurbit menace).
Careful: Tea tree oil can burn plants, so spray lightly in the early morning or evening.
Want to design the perfect garden? Grab my Companion Planting Guide and Binder—it’s packed with easy-to-follow tips so you can start companion planting right away!
3. Peppermint Essential OilA top-notch insect repellent, peppermint oil fights off ants, aphids, bean beetles, cutworms, flea beetles, slugs, and more.
It also keeps away bigger troublemakers like mice, moles, and squirrels. Just dab a few drops on cotton balls and place them in problem spots—or drop them into mole tunnels!
4. Basil Essential Oil
Essential oils aren’t just for pests—they can also boost plant growth, just like companion planting.
If your garden is too small for basil (or you just don’t want to grow it), basil oil can still help tomatoes, beans, broccoli, peppers, and potatoes thrive. Just brew an essential oil “tea” and water as usual! (Recipe below.)
5. Rosemary Essential Oil
Another pest-control champ, rosemary oil repels ants, aphids, bean beetles, cabbage butterflies, and flea beetles. It also works in an essential oil tea for broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower.
6. Clove Essential Oil
Clove oil is a garden multitasker—great for killing weeds, repelling bugs, and controlling mold/mildew/fungus on plants and soil.
7. Oregano Essential Oil
I use oregano oil at home for things like athlete’s foot, so it’s no surprise it fights garden fungus too!
It also keeps flying pests (carrot flies, green flies, mosquitoes, etc.) at bay.
8. Lavender Essential Oil
Essential oils don’t just deter pests—they can also attract pollinators. Lavender oil draws in bees and butterflies.
If you can’t grow lavender, just soak cotton balls in the oil or make a light spray to mist around your garden.
9. Orange Essential Oil
Another pollinator magnet, orange oil can be mixed with lavender (or used alone) to make your garden smell amazing while bringing in helpful bugs.
How to Use Essential Oils in Your Garden
Here are a few simple methods:
- Sprays: A little goes a long way! Mix 1-2 drops of oil in a water-filled spray bottle. Shake well before each use, and spray plants in the early morning or evening. (Tip: Glass spray bottles are best, but harder to find for large gardens.)
- Essential Oil Tea: Similar to compost tea, this lets you water plants with oil-infused goodness. (Basic recipe below.)
- Cotton Balls: Soak them in oil and place them in rodent nests, burrows, or pollinator hotspots. Replace as needed.
- Strings/Strips: Soak cotton strips in oil and hang them between rows or from branches to confuse pests’ sense of smell—no spraying required!
Essential Oil Garden Recipes
Insect Deterrent Spray (per cup of water)
- 1 drop peppermint oil
- 1 drop rosemary oil
- 1 drop thyme oil
Shake well before spraying (best in mornings/evenings).
Fungus Spray (for blight, powdery mildew, etc.) *(1-gallon bottle)*
- 5 drops tea tree oil
- 1 drop oregano oil
- 1 squirt Castile soap
- 3 Tbsp baking soda
Fill with water, shake well, and spray leaves weekly (morning/evening).
Weed-Killing Spray (large pump spray bottle)
- Distilled white vinegar (fill almost to the top)
- 1 squirt Castile soap
- 15 drops clove oil
- 10 drops cinnamon oil
Shake well before spraying—ONLY on weeds (it’ll kill plants too!).
Essential Oil Tea (basic recipe)
- 8 drops essential oil
- 2 cups very hot water
Let cool, then dilute with ¼ cup tea per 1 gallon of water. Shake and water as usual.
Final Reminder
Don’t forget other organic pest control methods! Diatomaceous earth is one of my go-to solutions.