Growing cabbage in a mixed crop has several advantages: in addition to defending against diseases and pests, the soil also benefits. Cabbage plants are heavy feeders and extract many nutrients from the soil. In order not to deplete the soil, you should vary your bed between high-, medium- and low-yielding plants. In this article, you can find out which plants go well next to cabbage and which are better planted in a different spot. There are also tips on succession cropping and crop rotation with cabbage.
Cabbages belong to the cruciferous family (Brassicaceae). This includes many cultivated plants such as cauliflower, white or red cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts and kohlrabi. But pak choi, Chinese cabbage and mustard also belong to the Brassicaceae. Popular green manure plants such as mustard are also part of this family. Other frequently cultivated crops in this plant family are radishes and daikon, which form the radish genus (Raphanus).
Cabbage plants are mostly heavy feeders. Radishes and Kohlrabi are an exception. These two cabbages are medium feeders. The soil should be rich in humus and nutrients and well aerated. Cabbage therefore thrives best on loamy or clayey soils. Soils that are too sandy, on the other hand, are usually too poor in nutrients, so in this case you should improve your garden soil with compost. Choose a sunny to semi-shady spot in the bed. An even supply of water is also important for cabbage plants, as they do not cope well with dryness or waterlogging. You can read more about Planting Cabbage and Tips on Growing Cabbage in this article.
Coals usually grow very strongly above ground and take up a lot of space in the bed. You should therefore choose suitable intercropping partners to make the best use of the space. However, the growth form varies greatly depending on the type of cabbage: headed and leafy cabbages such as Brussels Sprouts, Pointed Cabbage, kale and co. tend to grow above ground and form spreading leaves/heads. However, there are also plants from the Brassicaceae family, such as Radishes or Daikon, which form tubers in the soil.
With our bed planner, you can easily plan a colourful mixed crop. Good and bad neighbours are displayed directly and you get tips on succession planting and crop rotation!
Plan Your Bed NowGood Companion Plants | Bad Companion Plants | |
---|---|---|
aubergine | peas | cruciferous vegetables |
beans | peppers | garlic |
carrots | potatoes | leeks |
celery | postelein | onions |
chard | spinach | strawberries |
lettuce | tomatoes | |
nasturtium |
As cabbage is a heavy feeder, medium to light feeders are suitable as a subsequent or previous crop. In addition to vegetable plants, you can also sow Green Manure. This enriches the soil with nutrients and maintains soil fertility over the long term. You should not choose mustard as a green manure, as this is part of the same plant family. However, there are many other green manure plants such as phacelia or buckwheat.
As most cabbages have a relatively long growing season, planning the Succession Planting is somewhat more difficult. However, there are crops with a short growing period that are suitable as a pre-crop or post-crop for cabbage plants: spinach, lamb's lettuce, peas and celery. Radishes are also suitable as a pre-crop for other cabbage plants. However, they are not ideal as they are also part of the Brassicaceae family. If you already have problems with specific diseases or pests for cabbage, you should therefore use other secondary crops.
As cabbages can also be grown well in winter, they are a good main crop for the winter. They are therefore ideal as a catch crop for low or medium-yielding crops that were on your beds in the summer months.
To avoid leaching the soil or attracting specific pests, you should take a break from growing on a bed (or part of a bed) for 4 years.
Before the cabbage plants are planted in your bed in summer, there is still enough time to sow pre-crops. You can sow kohlrabi, e.g.' Azurstar', early in the year (January) and plant it in your bed from the end of February. You can also sow other cold-tolerant crops such as spinach, borage, radishes or lettuce. A suitable lettuce variety for such early sowing would be the robust variety 'Lollo Rosso'. You can also sow carrots in mid-March. The early variety 'Amsterdam 2', for example, is ideal for this.
The pre-grown young plants can then be planted from mid-May after the Ice Saints. Cauliflower, celery, palm kale and kale can now be planted outdoors. Salads and herbs such as oregano and savory can also be planted. It is best to use young plants here too so that you can harvest more quickly. Sow the beans directly into the bed. The carrots will grow and thrive and will be ready to harvest in a few weeks (from around mid-July).
Most cabbages have a relatively long growing season. This is why kale and palm kale remain in the bed well into the winter. The same applies to celery plants, which also grow slowly and remain in the field until November. However, some crops have already been harvested and you can still sow a few more crops in mid-September: rocket, lamb's lettuce, spinach and radishes. You can also sow cress next to the cabbage plants. One hardy variety is 'barbara cress'.
Good luck with growing your own cabbage and if you have any questions, problems or comments, please write to us at [email protected].
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Marie is an agronomist. She is particularly interested in the sustainable and organic cultivation of vegetables and other plants. In her own garden, she gained experience and likes to try things out to learn from nature. She is particularly interested in the values and principles of permaculture, in order to contribute not only to the well-being of nature, but also to the well-being of people and future generations.
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We held a chili workshop on Friday. Together we cooked a sweet and sour sauce, a chili oil and a sriracha. Beforehand, there was a visit to the tunnel where most of our chillies grow and a short tasting ranging from mild to super hot 🔥 The participants were then able to adjust their sauces accordingly. We had great fun and would like to thank Fryd for the goodies 😍
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Ground frost, cold nights and little sun during the day - time to sum up my gardening year: I concentrated on container planting on the patio, I also cultivated two raised beds there. The carrots and radishes have thrived very well, regardless of the variety. Kohlrabi suffered from the cabbage white butterfly. With the cucumbers, I had to contend with downy mildew during the hot period and powdery mildew during the rainy period. Vorgebirgstrauben were very successful, Marketmore were mediocre and unfortunately I had little success with Diva and other smooth varieties. With tomatoes, the small Supersweet were outstanding, San Marzano, Montfavet, Matina, Ranger quite ok and Marmande and the small bush tomatoes of various varieties were disappointing. I wasn't happy with the beetroot either, but the spring onions and garlic did well. Strawberries disappointed me, but pineapple cherries bore abundantly. All the lettuce varieties were more or less successful due to the weather, as were the various herbs. Zucchinis on the compost were mediocre, watermelons and pumpkins were very poor. In 2026, I will switch back to smaller pots of 15 and 30 liters and plant blueberries in the 80-liter pots. I didn't have good experiences with the planting bags, firstly they were difficult to move in the 30 and 60 l sizes, and secondly I couldn't really regulate the water balance well. What is your conclusion?
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Which plants are good companion plants for cabbage in a mixed crop?
Good companions for cabbage include eggplant, beans, peas, potatoes, carrots, chard, peppers, lettuce, celery and tomatoes.
Which plants should not be planted next to cabbage?
Bad companions for cabbage are strawberries, garlic, other cruciferous plants, leeks and onions.
What should I bear in mind when rotating crops with cabbage?
It is recommended to take a cultivation break of 4 years so as not to leach the soil and to avoid specific pests. Spinach and peas are favorable pre-crops for cabbage.
How do I grow cabbage successfully in a mixed crop?
In order to achieve a successful mixed crop with cabbage, care should be taken to combine plants with different nutrient requirements and growth forms in order to make optimum use of the soil.