Planting bush basil near green beans naturally repels certain pests

In the middle of summer, garden vegetables like green beans are proliferating, but so are pests that like to chew and suck on them. Now, a study in ACS' Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry suggests growing bush basil near bean plants could offer a cost-effective, natural (and tasty!) alternative to chemical repellents. The fragrant herb not only helped the beans develop their own defenses against spider mites but also attracted the pests' natural enemies.