Plants for an Organic Garden: Complete List from a Texas Gardener's 8-Year Experience

Diverse Organic Plant Palette

An 8-year organic gardener in Texas shares their complete plant inventory, proving anything grown chemically thrives better organically.

Ornamentals

• Roses, crepe myrtles, ferns, lilies, dusty miller, irises
• Rose of Sharon, magnolias, azaleas, perennial/annual flowers
• Multiple fern varieties

Herbs (Culinary + Pest Control + Aromatherapy)

• Lavender, rosemary, thyme, sweet basil, oregano, chives, marjoram
• Rosemary: repels roaches and insects indoors
• Lavender: repels houseflies; oil for relaxation/sleep
• Basil: repels fleas (newly discovered benefit)

Vegetables

• Squash, tomatoes, salad vegetables, green beans

Fruit Trees & Vines

• Fig, peach, apricot, aprium, crabapple, grape vines

Specialty Plants

• Mosquito plant (scented geranium) in containers at entrances – effectively repels mosquitoes

Soil & Pest Management

• Cedar bark mulch yard-wide: repels fleas, ticks, termites
• Spring termite barrier: 2-inch wide, 1-inch high cedar mulch ring around foundation
• 40-year termite-free (except initial treatment at purchase)
• Indoor herbs eliminate roaches, ants, spiders, earwigs, silverfish

Ecological Insight

Roaches belong outdoors aerating soil and eating pests. Chemicals kill their food and threaten them, forcing indoor migration. Organic yards maintain balance: beneficial insects, toads, lizards, and grass snakes control pests naturally.