Cabbage Companion Plants
Vegetable70 days to maturity
Cabbage is a cool-season brassica grown for its dense, leafy heads, and it shares the family's vulnerability to a long parade of leaf-eating pests. Imported cabbageworms, cabbage loopers, aphids, and flea beetles can quickly riddle the foliage, while soilborne clubroot threatens the roots in acidic ground. As a heavy feeder that takes weeks to form a tight head, cabbage benefits greatly from aromatic companions that mask its scent and recruit beneficial insects.
Companion Checker: what grows well with Cabbage?
Tap any plant to see whether it pairs well with Cabbage and why. Green means a beneficial companion, red means keep them apart.
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Companion Planting Strategy for Cabbage
Cabbage's companion strategy is built almost entirely around pest control: pungent alliums and aromatic herbs confuse and repel the cabbage moths and aphids that target brassicas, while flowering plants either trap pests or bring in predatory and parasitic insects. It pays to keep cabbage away from other heavy feeders that compete for the rich soil and steady nitrogen it demands.
Best Companion Plants for Cabbage
These plants grow well alongside Cabbage — providing pest control, attracting pollinators, or making better use of your garden space.
Onions give off a strong sulfurous odor that masks the cabbage and helps repel cabbage worms, aphids, and root maggots.
Garlic's pungent aroma deters aphids and cabbage moths, and its natural sulfur compounds may help suppress some fungal diseases.
Dill attracts parasitic wasps, ladybugs, and lacewings that prey on the cabbageworms and aphids that attack the heads.
Mint's strong scent repels cabbage moths, ants, and flea beetles, though it is best grown in a sunken pot to keep it from spreading.
Rosemary's resinous fragrance helps deter cabbage moths and loopers from laying eggs on the foliage.
Sage repels cabbage moths and flea beetles with its aromatic oils and makes a good perennial border companion.
Thyme deters cabbageworms with its strong scent while its small flowers draw in beneficial predatory insects.
Beets feed lightly and draw nutrients from a different soil zone, so they share the cool-season bed without competing with cabbage's heavy needs.
Celery's strong aroma is reputed to repel the white cabbage moth, and the two cool-season crops grow well side by side.
Nasturtiums act as a trap crop, luring aphids and cabbage white butterflies to lay eggs on them instead of on the cabbage.
Marigolds deter cabbage pests and root-knot nematodes while their flowers attract pollinators and predatory insects to the bed.
What Not to Plant With Cabbage
Keep these away from Cabbage. They compete for resources, attract shared pests, or inhibit each other's growth.
Tomatoes are warm-season heavy feeders that compete directly with cabbage for nitrogen and soil nutrients, and their differing season and water needs make them poor bedmates.
Strawberries and brassicas compete for nutrients and tend to stunt one another, and the low strawberry foliage harbors slugs that also feed on cabbage.
Peppers are heat-loving heavy feeders with very different growing requirements that compete with cabbage for the rich soil and steady moisture it needs.
Eggplant is a heavy-feeding nightshade that drains the same nutrients cabbage relies on while offering no pest-deterrent benefit in return.
How to Grow Cabbage
- Botanical name
- Brassica oleracea (Capitata Group)
- Family
- Brassica/Mustard family (Brassicaceae)
- Sun
- Full sun, 6+ hours daily; tolerates light afternoon shade in heat
- Water
- 1.5-2 inches per week, consistent and even to prevent splitting
- Soil
- Rich, firm, well-draining soil high in organic matter, pH 6.5-7.5 (a higher pH discourages clubroot)
- Spacing
- 12-24 inches apart depending on variety; rows 24-36 inches apart
- Planting depth
- Sow seeds 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep; set transplants slightly deeper, up to the first set of true leaves
- Germination
- 5-10 days at 45-85F (optimal around 70F)
- Days to maturity
- 60-100 days from transplant, depending on variety
- When to plant
- A cool-season crop: transplant in early spring 2-4 weeks before the last frost, or in mid-to-late summer for a fall harvest
- Harvest
- Cut at the base when heads are firm and fully sized; harvest before hot weather to avoid bolting and before hard freezes
Common Cabbage Problems
Cabbage worms and loopers (ragged holes in leaves, green caterpillars, dark frass)
Hand-pick the caterpillars, cover plants with floating row covers to block egg-laying moths, and spray Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) on the foliage, which targets caterpillars without harming beneficial insects.
Cabbage aphids (gray-green clusters on leaves and inside heads, stunted growth)
Blast them off with a strong jet of water, encourage ladybugs and lacewings with companion flowers, and treat heavy infestations with insecticidal soap or neem, paying attention to leaf undersides.
Flea beetles (tiny shot-hole punctures across young leaves)
Protect seedlings with row covers, dust foliage with diatomaceous earth, and keep the bed weeded; healthy, vigorous transplants usually outgrow light damage.
Clubroot (wilting, yellowing plants with swollen, distorted roots)
This soilborne disease thrives in acidic, wet ground. Raise soil pH toward 7.0 with lime, improve drainage, rotate brassicas on a 3-4 year cycle, and remove and destroy infected plants and roots.
Cabbage Companion Planting FAQ
What are the best companion plants for cabbage?
Pungent alliums like onions and garlic and aromatic herbs such as dill, mint, rosemary, sage, and thyme are the best companions because they repel cabbage moths and aphids. Nasturtiums and marigolds trap pests and attract beneficial insects, while beets and celery share the cool-season bed without competing for nutrients.
What should you not plant with cabbage?
Keep cabbage away from heavy-feeding nightshades like tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant, which compete for the same nitrogen and rich soil. Strawberries are also a poor match, since they and brassicas tend to stunt each other and strawberries harbor slugs that feed on cabbage leaves.
Can you plant cabbage and tomatoes together?
It is best to keep them apart. Both are heavy feeders that compete for nitrogen and soil nutrients, and they have opposite preferences, with cabbage thriving in cool weather and tomatoes needing summer heat. Planting them together usually means one or both underperform.
How far apart should you plant cabbage?
Space cabbage plants 12-24 inches apart with 24-36 inches between rows, using the wider spacing for large, late varieties and tighter spacing for compact heads. Closer spacing yields smaller heads, so give each plant room for good airflow, which also helps prevent pest and disease problems.
More vegetable companions
Plan Your Cabbage Garden
Use our interactive tools to design the perfect garden with Cabbage and its companions.