9 'Trap Crops' That Will Naturally Lure Pests Away From Your Favorite Plants

What if you could protect your plants from unwanted insects by simply planting carefully chosen "trap crops" elsewhere in your garden? These sacrificial plants would naturally attract pests and distract them from devouring your favorite garden plants, thus providing protection without the use of pesticides. Sounds intriguing, doesn’t it? The great news is that this clever form of natural pest management has proven successful and is commonly used by home gardeners and in commercial agriculture. To learn more, we talked to garden experts for their best tips on using trap crops in the garden.

What Are Trap Crops?

Trap crops are plants intentionally chosen to attract particular garden pests, acting as decoy crops to protect other crops you care more about. "If done effectively, trap crops can help keep insect pests away from the plants you value most in your garden, without needing to use pesticides,” says Annie Klodd, manager of interpretation and visitor learning at the University of Minnesota Extension. 

Why Trap Crops Are Good for Your Garden

Minimizing the need for pesticides is one of the key benefits of trap crops, but there are other benefits, too. "Seeing the pest on a trap plant is a signal that the gardener needs to pay attention to what may be a problem in the garden," says Debra Knapke, horticulturist and author. "When I see aphids on a nasturtium, it tells me to go looking for aphids on my 'treasured' plants and to dispatch any I see with a strong stream of water. But if I notice that lady beetle larvae and adults are on the job, I back off and let them do the work. This is often the case in my garden."

Trap crops are excellent indicators of what pests and predators you have in the garden, and you can use that information as a guide to make further corrections.

Tips for Planting Trap Crops

Set yourself up for success with trap crops by considering these tips.

Manage Expectations

Klodd points out the importance of managing your expectations but adds that there's really no harm in trying a trap crop. "Some reasons they might not work include high insect pest populations (meaning, if there are enough of them, they'll go after all of it), and placing the trap crop in the wrong spot," she says.

Study the Subject

"The recommendations for how to use each trap crop differ, so be sure to read up on the best way to use each one. University Extension services are a good resource for this because the writers use thorough research studies to inform their recommendations,” says Klodd.

Space Appropriately

Be sure to plant trap crops at least 8 to 12 feet away from the plants you’re trying to protect.  

Consider Relationships

The trap value of a plant can be relative, says Knapke. "For the grower of brambles, a rose is a trap plant for Japanese beetle. For the rosarian, raspberry and blackberry are the trap plants for the Japanese beetle. So, any plant that has an associated pest is technically a trap plant."

Pay Attention

"Overall, if gardeners want to be monitoring for emerging pests, they can plant some species that are known to attract them," says Irish-Hanson. "That way the gardeners can be ready to manage any pests on their desired crop."

Common Trap Crops

If you'd like to plant some trap crops in your own garden, try one of these common plants that our experts recommend.