21 Cabbage Companion Plants You Can Grow With Cabbage

Dreaming of growing your own cabbage? Homemade sauerkraut in your future? Maybe you want to learn to make your family’s traditional cabbage rolls? When you grow cabbage, companion planting with other crops can help improve the yield of your harvest and maximize the space in your garden beds.

But the question becomes, what should you plant with cabbage? Are there certain vegetables, herbs, or flowers that pair better with this lovely garden vegetable? The good news is you have lots of options, as cabbage is a fairly good partner when it comes to pairing with other vegetables.

In this article, we take a deeper look at our favorite cabbage companion plants, as well as what not to grow with cabbage. We dive into vegetables, herbs, and flowers that grow well together. Let’s jump in!

Brassica Crops & Companion Planting

Botanically, cabbage is a member of the Brassica plant family, along with kale, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and Asian greens. Brassicas are also known as cole or crucifer crops. The name crucifer refers to the distinct cross-shaped flowers these plants bear.

All brassicas have similar nutrient demands on the soil, growth habits, and pest problems. In fact, cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, kale, and broccoli are actually the same species and genus but have been bred for different edible parts!

Companion Planting Explained

Companion planting is intentionally growing certain plants next to each other to reap the benefits of growing them together. It may encourage plant health and reduce pest and disease pressure.

Companion planting increases diversity in the garden, especially in small spaces, and helps maximize space for square foot gardening. It is also used to maximize garden space if two plants have different maturity rates and growth habits.

Important Considerations

Before you add cabbage to your garden, make sure you have plenty of space for each plant to grow to maturity. Cabbage can become huge, spreading up to four feet across. If they are crowded, you will end up with Brussels sprouts-sized heads instead of full, dense ones.

Keep in mind that mature cabbage leaves cast a wide shade and will block out anything growing beneath them. Compact, small-headed varieties are available, but even these still need a few feet of space per plant.

Cabbage is best grown from transplants. If you start from seed, you will find many options to choose from, including red, green, conical, and savoyed varieties. Growing unique cultivars can add even more interest to your garden.

These plants also need plenty of fertilizer or compost throughout the season. Cabbage requires regular, consistent water for even leaf formation within the head. Too much moisture, however, can cause splitting. Plan for both ample space and strong soil fertility before planting.

Cabbage thrives in the cool weather of spring and fall. Mature plants handle autumn frost well, and even young transplants tolerate a few freezing spring nights with little issue. Your goal is to have spring cabbage mature before the hottest days of summer, or to grow it into the cool days of late fall.

Persistent summer heat will make cabbage taste bitter and increase the chance of dry, papery inner leaves as the head forms. Heat stress also makes plants more vulnerable to pests and diseases.

Vegetable Companions

There are many different types of crops that will perform quite well with cabbage. First up, we take a look at some of the top vegetables you can plant with cabbage to maximize the space inside your garden beds, and produce bigger crop yields.

Carrots

Carrots make great companion plants for cabbage, due to different growth habits and little to no shared pests. They also both grow well in cooler weather.

Carrots take up garden space primarily underground (though they can get tall tops depending on the variety). Cabbage needs less root space and more above ground space so they can share the same garden area for part of their life.

Plant carrots early in the spring, when your cabbage transplants are still safe inside the nursery’s greenhouse or your windowsill (or wherever you grow your transplants). When cabbage planting time comes, your carrots should have germinated and be at least a few inches tall. Allow both plants to grow together.

As the cabbage plant increases in size, it will start to shade the carrots. Harvest baby carrots from around the cabbage plant’s growing base as they are shaded out, leaving the furthest away carrots to grow to full size.

Beets

Beets are a great companion plant for cabbage too, since they are similar in growth habit to carrots, as described above. They also share a few pests with cabbage. Beets are a great choice because they tend to be a bit easier to grow for novice gardeners than carrots.

These crops can be harvested at the baby stage for sweet, tender treats. Beets have another super power that makes them excellent companion plants: their greens! As the beets mature around the cabbage, harvest the greens to allow more space for the cabbage plant. Beet greens rival Swiss chard for health benefits and flavor.

Lettuce

Lettuce is an excellent choice for planting next to cabbage, though it doesn’t offer specific benefits in terms of pest protection. They both prefer cool weather. Lettuce is an easy-going, quick crop that can be harvested multiple times.

The lettuce will mature in half the time as the cabbage and will regrow from harvested leaves for a second or even third harvest. As the lettuce and cabbage mature, keep harvesting the lettuce from around the cabbage plant before it gets shaded out.

Lettuce generally does not do well in the heat, so you can harvest all the lettuce and cabbage before the heat of summer. That leaves you with an open space to plant a heat-loving crop. For example, pop in some okra or basil transplants in the space where cabbage and lettuce grew.

Scallions

Scallions are excellent space savers since they grow small and lean. Sow scallion seeds directly into the garden as early as the soil can be worked, and be patient.

They are slow growers. Allow them to get past the “grass-stage” where the baby scallions resemble blades of grass, before planting cabbage transplants with them.

Scallions can be planted around the cabbage plants, similar to how lettuce, carrots, and beets were described above. Scallions can be harvested at any stage after they are the size of a pencil, and have a long harvest window. Again, harvest the scallions closest to the cabbage first, as the cabbage will eventually shade out the nearest scallions.

Spinach

Spinach thrives in cool weather and is one of the first seeds you can plant in the spring, even when it is still freezing at night! It is also a “cut-and-come-again” crop, meaning if you harvest only some leaves from each plant, it will continue to produce.

This makes it a great plant to establish and harvest from for a few weeks before putting in your cabbage plants. Similar to lettuce, harvest the spinach from around the cabbage plant until it gets shaded out.

One caution: aphids do love to hang out under the curled spinach leaves, especially as the weather warms. Remove spinach as the weather gets hot, even if it happens before your cabbage head is fully mature.

Dandelion Greens

Dandelion greens are an unsung hero of the garden due to their high nutrient content and few pests. They can churn out healthy greens all season long, even after you’ve pulled the cabbage plants in the summer heat!

Dandelion seed you purchase for planting is botanically different from the common yellow flowering lawn weed. Dandelion greens are actually chicory and are the same species as endive.

When spaced closely, these cabbage companion plants will grow somewhat vertically, which makes them a great space saver next to space-hogging cabbage. Again, as the cabbage grows, harvest the dandelion green plants as they get shaded out.

Celery

Celery is purported to repel cabbage moths, which makes it a good choice for cabbage companion plants. Even if cabbage moths were to find your cabbage, chances are good they would not move onto the celery. Celery and cabbage both are best grown as transplants, prefer cooler weather, and need regular water for ideal growth.

Celery and cabbage are very close in their days to maturity (approximately 75-85 days depending on variety). This makes them good companions because once both crops are done, you remove the plants in their entirety and make space for a new crop.

Since celery and cabbage struggle in hot weather, this opens up space in your garden for a new summer crop, like basil transplants, beans, okra, or zinnias, for example.

Mâche

Mâche, vit, and lamb’s lettuce are all names for the most fabulous under-recognized garden crop that also makes great cabbage companion plants. With a similar growth habit to spinach, mâche can be sown early, as soon as the soil can be worked.

Mâche has a mild, nutty flavor you won’t find anywhere else in the garden. Though it is slow to germinate and grow, the wait is worth it!  

Mâche can withstand cold temperatures and can be sown early, so it will grow into a harvestable plant by the time the cabbage transplants go in. While the cabbage is growing to maturity, keep harvesting your mâche from around the plant.

Careful harvesting will allow mâche to be a cut-and-come-again crop. Mâche and cabbage don’t share many pests aside from aphids, so they can be great garden companions!

Onions

Onions are rewarding to grow in your garden since you can enjoy the fruits of your labor all year if stored properly after harvest. Onions’ generous aroma also repels many pests that attack cabbage: cabbage moths, cabbage loopers, aphids, and rabbits! That alone makes them great cabbage companion plants.

If you practice garden rotation (which you should be), planting onions next to cabbage can simplify your rotation. You can just scootch next season’s cabbage crop right where your onions grew.

While bulb onions need more space than scallions mentioned above, they still have an upright growth habit. Onions are heavy feeders like cabbage, so applying a generous dose of compost before planting will benefit both crops.

Garlic

Garlic shares many of the same qualities with onions mentioned above, since they are closely related botanically. Garlic’s strong aroma repels the same pests, which makes it an excellent choice for cabbage companion plants.

Garlic tends to take up slightly less space than onions and can be a good choice along garden bed edges where cabbage takes center stage.

Arugula

Arugula is a beneficial companion plant for cabbage in a way that most other crops listed here are not. Arugula is considered a “trap crop” for flea beetles, which are also a cabbage pest. Flea beetles will eat the tender arugula leaves before tough cabbage leaves.

Seeing them on arugula first gives you a chance to cover your cabbage with insect netting or row cover. Let the flea beetles be on the arugula and consider it a sacrifice crop. Pesticides don’t work particularly well for flea beetles since they fly quickly at any movement.

Herb Companions

Homegrown herbs are the key that takes your fresh-from-the-garden cooking to the next level. Not only do herbs add the pop to every dish, but most of them also have pungent aromas that repel pests, making them great cabbage companion plants.

Thyme

Thyme’s strong aroma has been said to repel cabbage moths. Thyme can be grown as an annual or perennial, depending on your USDA zone and variety.  As a somewhat low-growing plant, try planting thyme around the edges of your beds with cabbage in the center.

When you’ve harvested the cabbage, the thyme will keep on growing and will be a great companion to most any other crop you plant after the cabbage.

Sage

Sage is another aromatic herb that also repels cabbage moths. It grows as a perennial in zones 4-8, so many gardeners will see sage return year after year.

Sage plants can grow into mini-shrubs, so plan to give them enough space. Visually, sage’s light green, dusty leaves will look stunning next to the deep blues and purples of cabbage leaves. 

Oregano

This perennial, pungent herb is hardy in zones 4-9. This cold-hardiness makes it a great companion crop to a fall batch of cabbage. A mature oregano plant can withstand light frosts, and its pungent odors will keep pests at bay. An easy herb to grow, it will spread if you give it enough space.

Chives

Chives are a beautiful, multipurpose plant that makes great cabbage companion plants, and are best planted next to cabbage (rather than harvested from underneath). The strong aroma repels aphids, a major pest for cabbage.

Chives can be slow to establish, but once they’ve gotten a foothold, they will be perennial. They are hardy in zones 3-9 and are one of the first plants to emerge in the spring. Chives not only provide edible greens, but they also have beautiful edible purple flowers!

Catnip

Catnip makes a great companion plant for cabbage since its pungent aroma repels flea beetles. It is an edible member of the mint family and can be used for teas.

It has a similar growth habit to oregano and is hardy in zones 3-9, so chances are you’ll see it return year after year. Plus, your furry feline family member will be thanking you for thinking of them in your garden!

Dill

Dill is one of the great cabbage companion plants because their flavors pair well in the kitchen. Since dill is not frost-hardy, you will have to wait until your spring cabbage is already actively growing to plant.

The dill seed heads will mature in late summer/early fall, and the seed can be harvested to use with your fall cabbage crop in sauerkrauts and cabbage rolls. Dill can be resown throughout the season to have a constant supply of fresh dill leaves.

Basil

Basil can be a great cabbage companion plant since its strong scent repels most cabbage pests. However, their season together may be short, since basil prefers warm weather and will die with a light touch of frost in the fall.

Plant basil in the spring around your cabbage after the threat of frost has passed. The cabbage will be nearing maturity, so when you’ve harvested a beautiful head, remove the entire plant by cutting it at its base below the soil line. Leaving the cabbage roots adds organic matter to the soil. You will then have plenty of room for the basil to mature over the summer.  

Flower Companions

There are a few great flower companions that will help enrich the taste of your vegetables, but also keep both pests and diseases away from them. Let’s take a look at the most common floral cabbage companion plants.

Marigold

The classic marigold is a gardener’s favorite companion plant since it pairs with virtually any crop. Cabbage benefits from living next to marigolds since the flowers repel cabbage moths. Full-grown marigold plants can tolerate light frosts. This makes them suitable cabbage companion plants for spring and fall crops.

Calendula

Calendula has outstanding medicinal uses, and the flower petals themselves are edible. Plus, its pungent floral aroma helps repel cabbage pests. Use the blooms as cut flowers all season long. Calendula leaves are so strongly scented that they will keep working hard to repel cabbage pests, even if you harvest the flowers.

Nasturtium

Nasturtium is both beautiful and edible. Edible nasturtium leaves lend a spicy kick to salads, and their orange blossoms bring joy to any garden.  Their ability to repel cabbage worms makes them great cabbage companion plants! Nasturtium is an annual that can thrive in sun and part shade.

Avoid Growing These With Cabbage

There are a few crops that do not make good companions for cabbage. The most commonly reported issue is with tomatoes. When grown together, tomatoes often become stunted and perform poorly.