They are one of the most popular fruits grown in gardens every year and because they are so hardy, strawberries can even be grown on patios, balconies and windowsills as well as outdoors and in greenhouses. But as well as slugs and snails, there’s another common pest that can target and cripple strawberry growth, especially in the spring and summer: aphids.

Aphids, greenflies and whiteflies can all damage strawberries and stunt their growth. Bad infestations can even stop strawberries from fruiting at all – and that’s where the garlic comes in. These common tiny flies all sap nutrients from strawberries by draining sap from their stalks. Infestations of greenfly, whitefly or aphids can often be found on the underside of leaves and they multiply quickly, sending an army of little insects to threaten the health of the plant and prevent them fruiting properly, if at all.

But using garlic in one of two ways can help drive these pests away. Garlic leaves sprinkled among your strawberry plants can deter and repel greenfly, whitefly and aphids – because of the natural chemicals in garlic which these pests can’t stand.

Taking it one step further, you can even ‘intercrop’ garlic and strawberry plants. This is where you plant garlic in-between strawberries and by doing so help keep pests away from your strawberries around the clock.

AHDB Horticulture reports on studies where this phenomenon was observed: “In experiments carried out as part of Project SF 156, strawberry plants in tunnels were intercropped with garlic (by planting garlic cloves directly in grow bags). 

“Garlic leaves were broken fortnightly and laid onto the crop. Alongside these were other groups of strawberry plants without garlic.

“The garlic treatment significantly reduced strawberry aphid numbers compared with untreated plants.

“Breaking garlic leaves possibly releases volatiles which repel aphids and is sustained by the continuous presence of garlic plants in the crop.”