Kohlrabi companion plants are essential for enhancing optimum growth for this plant. Kohlrabi belongs to the brassica family and is susceptible to pests like cutworms, cabbage aphids, etc.
Introducing companion planting ensures these plants cover the ground, attract pollinators, keep away pests, improve soil conditions, and provide shade, thus improving this crop’s growth behavior. Let’s review the right plants you can grow together and their benefits.
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Types of Kohlrabi Companion Plants
1. Nasturtiums
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Besides deterring pests, nasturtium also improves the soil by breaking up soil to help keep it well-aerated and moist. Grow kohlrabi with nasturtium to make it bigger and healthier.
What you must know when you are growing nasturtium is that it is a cheerful flower with vibrant, bold blooms. Its leaves, flowers, and seedpod are edible, making it a fun flower to grow and consume. It is a favorite pair for many crops, kohlrabi being one of them.
Nasturtium is a perfect companion crop to grow around the borders of your sensitive plants. It is popular for naturally repelling invasive pests with its strong scent. It does this by attracting common pests like aphids and cabbage worms turning their attention from the growing kohlrabi.
Nasturtiums thrive in USDA hardiness zones 9 to 11 in full sun and partial shade, note tha they do not need extra fertilizer as they can grow well in poor soils.
Ensure the soil is draining and support the trailing plants. They require frequent watering to keep the soil moist throughout their growing season. Harvest the flowers as soon as they are ready to allow more blooms to come up.
2. Lettuce
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Lettuce ensures the soil remains cool and moist for kohlrabi to thrive, as it requires the same soil status. To ensure this companion planting works, plant them in a partially sunny and shade location that does not get too hot.
It is one of the best companions as it acts as a natural ground cover or mulch to keep the soil moist. Moist soils are one of the growing conditions that kohlrabi appreciates.
It is a leafy vegetable in the Asteraceae family grown for the leaves that are used as salad greens. They vary in size, shape, and leaf type and form a dense head or loose rosette with the leaves. It has a short stem with larger leaves arranged at the bottom and smaller ones further up.
This plant loves a cool climate with temperatures ranging from 59 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit. Grows in many soils as long as they are fertile, retain moisture, and have a pH greater than 7.0. It needs a cooler climate than direct sunlight, which causes the leaves to bolt early.
Fertilize at least three weeks after transplanting with organic manure or fertilizer. Keep the soil moist by watering it frequently. In addition to this, you must also provide an organic mulch to help conserve moisture, keep the temperatures cool, and suppress weeds.
3. Celery
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Growing these two together is easy as they complement each other without competing for nutrients. To make your garden even better, add alliums to this combination to keep deer away from eating them.
Celery is one of the best neighbors as it improves the flavor of this crop. It is also a great deterrent for pests like the white cabbage moth and frequent kohlrabi. This is why it is great to plant celery, because they will give flavor in addition to protecting the surrounding plants as well.
Provide plenty of water to help the celery grow tall. Keep it under cool temperatures, as it will not tolerate high temperatures. Enrich with organic matter as it is a slow-release type of fertilizer.
Moreover, the celery thrives in cool and moist areas tolerating shade more than any other crop. Plant them in early spring in cool areas to harvest in the summer. In warm areas, plant in the late summer and harvest in late autumn.
4. Beets
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When you pair two plants with the same nutrients and conditions, it’s easy to grow them. These two are the finest examples of companion planting as they work together to ensure a bumper harvest.
Beets are a cool weather crop that can grow biennially or annually. They are grown for their edible roots and leaves. They come in two types – globe-shaped and long rooted and can be red, orange, white, or even yellow inside.
These rooted burgundy vegetables share the same growing conditions with the kohlrabi crop; therefore, they don’t need you to sweat it out when growing them together. The two get along happily as they share the nutrients present without competition.
Provide beets with at least six hours of sunlight that is not too hot. If your area is too hot, plant it under a light shade. Use well-drained soils with a little acidic or neutral pH value. In addition, they are ones that would also need at least one inch of water every week, and mulching will help keep moist soils.
One of the key characteristics when you are growing them is that they can tolerate light frost but not too cold; harvest them before the winter sets in. Supplement your soil with organic manure that will feed them throughout the growing season.
5. Cucumber
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Pairing cucumbers with kohlrabi plants will keep the deer away as it does not eat cucumbers. One disadvantage of growing these two together is that cucumber deters wasps that are good for pollination.
Cucumber is a warm-season plant belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family. It is grown for its edible fruit and has a sprawling vine with large leaves and curling tendrils. Produces yellow flowers at least four inches in diameter, and the fruit is generally a curved cylinder round at both ends.
Cucumbers are an excellent companion plant as it provides adequate shade. It also prevents moths from laying eggs on this brassica and control pests like mites and ants. Cucumbers prefer warm and dry growing conditions at 86 degrees Fahrenheit. They grow best if provided with well-drained soils, rich in organic matter and pH values of 6.5 and 7.5.
On another note, these vines need plenty of space to grow and can be trained on a fence or trellis. Provide a continuous water supply of at least an inch weekly to increase the yield. Mulch them to conserve moisture and keep the soil warm.
6. Alliums
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Growing alliums protect the neighbors from pests and animals like deer, chipmunks, and rabbits. You can add alliums to any of your vegetable patches for maximum results. Allium family members are good neighbors keeping unwanted pests away from kohlrabi. They repel moths, aphids, mites, and flea beetles that plague brassicas.
Garlic, chives, onions, and shallots are members of the allium family. Alliums are easy-to-grow bulbs in various colors, flowers, heights, and bloom times. They are resistant to rabbits, chipmunks, deer, and voles.
Lastly, when you are growing them, you can always note that they would grow in moist, well-draining soils. They prefer direct sunlight performing their best if they bask the whole day.
They multiply naturally and should be untouched for as long as you want. Water them frequently to maintain moist soils, however, you should fertilize with a thin layer of compost manure for prolonged feeding.
7. Thyme
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Thyme and its sister rosemary are notorious for protecting other crops from the pests attacking them during their growing season. Growing them together makes them highly potent for the success of your vegetable garden.
Moreover, thyme has natural oils in the leaves that repel pests like cabbage worms from attacking kohlrabi. Cabbage worms are notorious for destroying your brassicas within a short time.
Thyme is a herb that has a pleasant and intense scent. This hardy perennial low-growing herb is evergreen and native to the Mediterranean. There are over 50 varieties of thyme, with English thyme being used in cooking.
These herbs are ones that love to grow under full sunlight or a sunny window if growing indoors. Ensure the soil drains well and is enriched with compost manure or a slow-release fertilizer.
However, it is very important that you remember that you should not water these herbs once it’s established, in short, when growing in a container, keep watering less frequently. Trim it back after flowering to encourage new growth and more leaves to harvest in autumn.
Conclusion
Kohlrabi companion plants mostly benefit this plant directly by keeping it from pest infestation or improving its flavor.
Here are a few pointers to note as you choose your favorite neighbors.
- Nasturtiums, alliums, thyme, and lettuce are some of the finest to grow as together because they offer valuable advantages.
- Kohlrabi is an excellent neighbor to many plants as long as it will benefit them, allowing it to perform better.
- Brassicas (kale, swiss chard, Brussels sprouts, collard greens, etc), potatoes, tomatoes, beans, and peas are not meant to be used as companions for kohlrabi as they all suffer the same pest infestation.
Kohlrabi is a laid-back vegetable that grows easily if you provide it with the right conditions. Why don’t you try growing any of these plants together and let us know the outcome?
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