In this article: Discover the best cabbage companion plants to boost your harvest, keep pests away, and enhance your cabbage’s flavor.
Pairing the right plants with your cabbage can help them grow stronger, taste better, and face fewer pest and disease issues. But how does companion planting actually work? What should you grow alongside your cabbage—and what should you avoid planting nearby?
First things first—cabbage is part of the brassica family, which also includes broccoli, kale, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts.
Below, you’ll find a list of cabbage companion plants that can help deter pests, improve flavor, and maximize garden space. Plus, I’ll share which plants should stay far away from your cabbage patch.
If you’re new to growing cabbage, check out my guide on How to Grow Cabbage from Seed for beginner-friendly tips.
What is Companion Planting?
Companion planting is a tried-and-true gardening method where certain plants are grown together to boost yields, enhance flavor, reduce disease, and minimize pest problems.
It’s a natural way to grow an organic garden without relying on synthetic fertilizers or pesticides.
For example, say you struggle with aphids or spider mites on your tomatoes every year. The tomatoes are your host plant, and you’d choose a companion plant (or two) to repel those pests—or even improve your tomatoes’ flavor.
Here’s how companion planting can benefit your garden:
- Attracts helpful insects and pollinators
- Reduces, repels, or traps pests
- Saves space and time
- Acts as living mulch
- Conserves water
- Improves soil health
Now that you know the basics, how can you use companion planting with cabbage?
Best Cabbage Companion Plants
Since cabbage is a brassica, the plants listed below can also pair well with broccoli, cauliflower, kale, and other brassicas.
1. Onions
Onions are one of the best companions for cabbage. They help repel pests like cabbage loopers, cabbage worms, and aphids.
2. Garlic
Garlic is a powerhouse for natural pest control. Its strong scent confuses and repels many insects, including cabbage loopers, cabbage worms, and cabbage maggots.
3. Peas
Peas are nitrogen-fixing legumes, and since cabbage is a heavy feeder, they make great partners. Both are cool-season crops, and peas can even provide shade for cabbage in hot afternoons.
4. Nasturtium
Nasturtiums are fantastic all-around companions—they attract beneficial insects, act as ground cover, and repel pests.
5. Marigold
Like nasturtiums, marigolds are garden superheroes. I scatter them throughout my garden beds. For cabbage, they help keep cabbage worms away.
6. Spinach
Spinach and cabbage have roots at different soil depths, so they don’t compete for nutrients or water.
7. Aromatic Herbs (Rosemary, Thyme, Sage)
These strong-smelling herbs repel cabbage worms, cabbage butterflies, and loopers.
8. Carrots
Carrots and cabbage both love cool weather, and since carrots grow underground while cabbage spreads above, they’re perfect neighbors. Some studies suggest carrots may even deter cabbage root flies.
9. Beets
Like carrots, beets grow underground, leaving space for cabbage above. After harvesting beets, leave the greens to decompose—they add magnesium to the soil.
10. Celery
Celery’s scent deters cabbage moths (a major cabbage pest), while cabbage helps shield young celery from wind damage.
11. Bush Beans
Beans, like peas, fix nitrogen in the soil and can provide afternoon shade for cabbage. Plant them around the edges of your cabbage patch.
12. Other Brassicas
All brassicas (broccoli, cauliflower, kale, Brussels sprouts) have similar nutrient and water needs, so they grow well together.
13. Annual Herbs (Dill, Cilantro)
These herbs repel cabbage moths, and flowering dill attracts lacewings and other beneficial insects.
14. Geranium
Geraniums help keep cabbage worms away and bring in helpful bugs.
What NOT to Plant with Cabbage
- Strawberries – They compete for nutrients, share pests, and cabbages will shade out sun-loving strawberries.
- Tomatoes – They fight for nutrients, and cabbage can stunt tomato growth.
- Peppers – Like tomatoes, they struggle near cabbage and other brassicas.
- Corn – It blocks too much sun from cabbages.
Cabbage Companions to Experiment With
Companion planting is like a garden experiment—sometimes, research and experience give mixed results. Try these pairings and see how they work for you:
- Lettuce
- Eggplant
- Potatoes
Keeping good garden records (like in the Companion Planting Binder) is key! Track your plant pairs each year and note the results.