Rutabaga companion plants can grow with your rutabagas without facing any problems, as they are compatible and can help each other.
Some of these plants add extra value to your garden, as they can repel pests, attract beneficial insects and even add nutrients to the garden.
Read this article to learn about some of the best rutabaga garden mates that you can grow.
Contents
10 Best Rutabaga Companion Plants for Your Garden
Some crops suitable for companion planting in your rutabaga garden are:
1. Peas
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If you have peas, you should plant rutabaga plants near them, as peas help to give nitrogen to rutabagas through the help of some microbes. Peas are legumes, so they are in a natural relationship with the microbes that fix nitrogen from the atmosphere into the soil. Peas will also not mind growing between rows of rutabaga plants.
Note that both rutabaga plants (Brassica napus) and peas need a lot of sunlight, so you want to make sure that the leaves of one do not cover the leaves of another. You can achieve this by properly spacing them. Ensure that there are at least 12 inches between the rows of your plants.
2. Onions
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Rutabagas are root vegetables, so it’ll be a great idea to grow them with other root vegetables. When harvesting rutabaga bulbs, you can also get onion bulbs to complete your delicious meal.
You can even store rutabagas and onions together. Onions can help repel some pests of rutabagas, so onions are cool companions of the plants. Also, onions do not grow leaves that can cover the leaves of your rutabagas.
Both plants are root plants, so you should expect a lot of activities to happen in the soil. This is why you should ensure that there’s enough space for the bulbs of both plants to grow properly. 12-24 inches between each plant is ideal for successful companionship.
3. Beans
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Just like peas, beans are essential for rutabaga plants, as they can provide nitrogen to the soil. Rutabagas growing near beans do not need to be fed extra nitrogen except if the soil is nutrient-depleted. Note that the plants would need phosphorus, potassium and other nutrients.
Most beans climb, so you need to grow them in a trellis or stake so that they do not climb your rutabagas and cover their leaves. You should also leave your bean plants to decompose in the soil instead of disposing of them.
That way, they can release all the nitrogen in their leaves back into the soil for the next rutabaga plants to make use of.
4. Carrots
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If your theme for the growing season is “root vegetables”, you can add carrots to your rutabaga garden. Carrots may not repel pests from the garden or give extra nutrients to your rutabagas, but they are compatible with rutabaga plants, as they have similar care requirements.
So long as the carrots and rutabagas get sufficient nutrients, sunlight and water, they will grow comfortably together. At the end of the harvest, you will enjoy both carrot and rutabaga roots.
5. Chives
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Here’s a plant that can help you grow pest-free rutabagas. Chives are herbs with rich scents, so they can repel some pests such as maggots from attacking your rutabaga plants.
Chives also thrive in nutrient-rich soil, so your rutabagas will gain a lot from the companionship, as you’d extend your care for the chives to them.
Chives can grow tall, so you want to make sure that they do not cover your rutabaga leaves and prevent them from getting enough sunlight. When planting both of these, space them properly (12 inches at least) so that their leaves will not compete for sunlight or their roots for nutrients.
6. Turnips
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Do you love turnips? Even if you are growing rutabaga plants, you can harvest rutabagas and turnips together because you can surely grow them together as companion plants. Both of them are root vegetables and need just a little care so long as their growth requirements are met. You just need to put spacing into consideration.
Remember that turnips can grow large in their roots, so you want to make sure that there are around 24 inches of space between the turnips and rutabagas when planting them. Also, check the leaves of your plants occasionally to make sure that no plant is covering the other from getting enough sunlight.
7. Beets
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If you’d love to grow only root vegetables in your garden, beets are an excellent choice to add to your rutabagas because they can enrich the soil with iron so that your rutabagas can grow healthier.
Beets will also not compete with the rutabagas so long as you properly space the beet and rutabaga seeds when planting them.
Another advantage of growing beets and rutabagas together is that there is enough sunlight for each plant, as none will outgrow the other so long as you planted them at the same time. After a successful growing season, you’ll have a rich variety of roots to choose from.
8. Spinach
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Do you love spinach leaves? If you do, you can surely grow them in your rutabaga garden, as spinach and rutabagas are compatible. Rutabagas, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, kale, etc. make up the Brassicaceae family, and every plant in this family can grow with spinach.
You only need to remember to practice crop rotation, as it is not a good practice to grow them continuously for a long time.
When growing them together, make sure that the spinach is properly fed so that it does not compete with the rutabaga for nutrients. Well, every plant will grow just fine so long as you properly space them.
9. Marigolds
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Marigolds are beautiful flowers that you can plant with your rutabagas. Marigolds do not just beautify your garden, they also help repel some invertebrate pests from the garden.
You should plant rutabagas near marigolds when you have mosquito, cabbage worm and hornworm problems. At the end of the growing season, you will harvest more rutabaga roots, as a majority of them will not be destroyed by pests.
Note that marigolds can spread, so you always want to put their growth in check by regularly pruning them. Also, ensure that you feed both plants regularly so that they will not compete with each other for nutrients in the soil.
10. Lettuce
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You can grow rutabaga with lettuce plants and enjoy both roots and leafy greens at the end of the growing season. Lettuce plants are compatible with rutabagas even though they do not directly add value to the plants. Well, the rutabaga plants will enjoy the care that you show towards your lettuces, as you’d grow them in nutritious soil as well as in the best temperature conditions.
Like with other plants, make sure that the lettuce leaves do not cover the rutabagas, as they can block sunlight from reaching the leaves under them. Also, note that lettuce plants are heavy feeders, so you want to make sure that you do not grow the plants in nutrient-depleted soil.
Conclusion
Now you know what plant you can grow with rutabagas and how to grow them together successfully.
Here are some take-home points from the article:
- Leguminous plants can give your rutabagas more nitrogen, so the plants will grow faster. Examples are peas and beans.
- Cabbage, kale and broccoli also belong to the Brassicaceae family just like rutabagas, so you need to do the occasional crop rotation from time to time if you want to grow them together.
- Chives and onions are examples of plants that can help repel some insects and other types of pests from your rutabagas.
- Some root vegetables that you can grow with rutabaga plants are carrots, beets, turnips, etc.
- Always remember to properly space your plants so that they can grow with enough sunlight and access to nutrients.
As you can see, you can get more value from your rutabaga garden when you add other plants to your rutabagas. Remember to learn the specific needs of the companions before you add them to your garden, and pay attention to what not to plant with rutabaga before making any plans.
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