12/07/2025
Want Your Apple Trees to Truly Thrive? Build an Apple Tree Guild šš
One of the most reliable, time-tested ways to grow healthier, more productive fruit trees is to plant them as part of a guildāa small, supportive ecosystem designed around the tree.
This is a core principle of permaculture: instead of planting a lone apple tree in turf grass, you surround it with plants that protect, feed, and strengthen it.
The layout in the image you shared is an excellent example. Every plant in the guild serves a specific function, creating a self-supporting system that reduces pests, improves soil, and boosts pollination.
Below is a breakdown of why each companion plant is included and the role it plays.
Chives (or other Alliums such as garlic)
Role: Pest and disease deterrent
Why it works:
Alliums naturally help suppress fungal issues like apple scab, and their strong scent confuses common pests, including aphids and deer. When allowed to bloom, they also draw in pollinators.
Yarrow
Role: Beneficial insect attractor
Why it works:
Its flat flower clusters attract predatory insectsāladybugs, lacewings, and parasitic waspsāthat feed on harmful pests.
Yarrow also pulls minerals from deep in the soil and returns them to the surface as its foliage breaks down.
Borage
Role: Pollinator magnet and soil enhancer
Why it works:
Bees of all kinds are drawn to borage more than almost any other flower, which increases your apple treeās pollination rate.
Like yarrow, borage mines nutrients from deeper layers of soil, helping enrich the topsoil around your tree.
Nasturtium
Role: Trap crop and living ground cover
Why it works:
Aphids prefer nasturtiums over nearly anything else, keeping them away from your apple tree.
This spreading plant also functions as a natural mulch, shading the soil and suppressing w**ds.
Marigold (Tagetes spp.)
Role: Root protector
Why it works:
Specific marigold varieties release natural compounds from their roots that deter root-knot nematodesāmicroscopic pests that damage tree roots. Their strong scent also discourages several above-ground insects and even browsing animals.
Artemisia (such as wormwood or southernwood)
Role: Strong-scented repellent
Why it works:
Artemisia species produce aromatic compounds that confuse and deter pests, including the codling mothāa major apple pest. Their scent also discourages deer and rabbits from approaching the tree.
What This Guild Achieves
Together, these plants create a powerful support system that:
Brings pollinators to the orchard (borage, yarrow)
Reduces pest pressure above and below ground (chives, marigolds, artemisia)
Attracts natural predators to control harmful insects (yarrow)
Improves soil structure and fertility (borage, yarrow)
Minimizes w**d competition (nasturtium)
Helps maintain tree health and disease resistance (chives)
This combination allows the apple tree to devote its energy to growth and fruit production instead of survival.
