Do you own a garden full of little cabbages? You know what it means. Little cabbages, aka Brussels sprouts, adorn the garden of many gardening freaks. It unfurls its greenish look in the air and treats everyone with its magical taste.
Along with everlasting beauty to your garden, its nutritional characteristics are hard to ignore. So if you already have a garden or are planning to make one for Brussels sprouts, you must know it is a cousin of numerous familiar vegetables, such as broccoli, cabbages, kale, and cauliflower, kohlrabi, etc., belonging to the family Brassica oleracea.
However, as you must have heard in the legend, birds of a feather flock together. The same is true for Brussels sprouts. Like any other plant, it requires some companion plants to help grow and develop with time without hampering its nutritional intake.
Companion planting can work out just fine for your Brussels sprouts garden, where you get additional supplies for food besides taking good care of Brussels sprouts.
Companion planting helps your garden in many ways. It enables you to overcome pests, bugs, and insect problems that feed on your lovely garden. Besides, the companion plants compensate for the nutritional deficiencies during the growing season. Some companion plants also enhance the flavor of their neighbors.
What Is Companion Planting?
Companion planting is the process of planting various plants together in one place. It is an effective way of making coexistence beneficial for plants. Plants are susceptible to several diseases, rots, and attacks from insects and pests.
Companion planting strives towards solving such issues. It uses other plants to deter pests or insects or provide essential nutrients to the plant requiring a companion. The plants benefit each other and co-exist as companions, thus providing you with a serene garden to adore.
What Are The Benefits of Companion Planting?
Companion planting helps deter insects, pests, forages, etc., that feed on your plants. Companion planting comes with many benefits. It eradicates the threats associated with the plant and provides it with a safe condition to grow and thrive.
It also helps keep several diseases at bay without requiring any chemicals. Many companion plants attract beneficial insects and pollinators to enhance pollination and scare away unwanted pests and insects.
The best part about companion planting is that it improves plants’ flavor, so you get delicious fruits and vegetables out of your garden. Not only that, but you can also enhance the growing conditions for the plant by using a companion as a shade or ground cover.
Moreover, the companion plants add essential nutrients to the soil, fulfilling the deficiency plants may face. They also enhance nitrogen in the soil, a necessary nutrient for any plant.
Companion Plants of Brussel Sprouts
If you are new to companion planting, you must wonder what you could plant as a companion to your Brussels sprouts plants. But worry no more, as here you can find a well-structured list of companion plants for Brussels sprouts (with pictures) to help you make the best choice.
1. Basil
Basil can be one of the top names in your list of companion plants for Brussels sprouts. Basil comes with numerous benefits for its sprouty friend. You must have grown weary of thrips that suck out juices of your precious Brussels sprouts.
However, with Basil as a companion plant by your side, you can kick out thrips as it repels them. You can also expect Basil to keep out flies, mites, mosquitoes, and aphids from the vicinity of your Brussels sprouts. So there is no harm in making Basil a companion plant for your Brussels sprouts. However, you must plant Basil away from Brussels sprouts.
2. Dill
Dill is another companion plant you can add to your list. It acts in the best interest of Brussels sprouts by luring worms that feed on and chew the leaves of the cabbage family. Brussels sprouts are vulnerable to these leaf-chewing worms that grow up to be even more lethal as white cabbage moths.
Dill is not the only aromatic herb that you can plant with Brussels sprouts. Examples of other categories are oregano, rosemary, sage, mint, etc. Hence, you can get some herbal friends for your Brussels sprouts. However, just like Basil, you must plant these herbs away from Brussels sprouts for them to attract the pests far away from your little cabbages.
3. Garlic
Garlic falls into the allium family with onions, leeks, shallots, etc. These alliums work toward enhancing the flavor of Brussels sprouts. Garlic increases the sweetness of mature Brussels sprouts, making it a worthy companion plant for Brussels sprouts.
In addition, garlic also acts as an antifungal plant for Brussels sprouts that repels numerous insects and pests that naturally exist within the soil and harm Brussels sprouts. You need not take much pain when planting garlic as it is easy to grow with individual cloves from the bulb of garlic. So you can get alliums for your Brussels sprouts garden.
4. Beets
You must have noticed yellowish outer areas around the leaves of Brussels sprouts. It is a sign of magnesium deficiency that usually occurs when planting Brussels sprouts. However, you can eliminate this deficiency with beets as a companion plant for Brussels sprouts.
Beets increase soil fertility for Brussels sprouts by adding magnesium minerals to the soil. So your little cabbages can grow well without any nutritional hindrance with beets as companions. You can also expect beet to deter aphids from the Brussels sprouts plants. So beat the nutritional deficiencies for Brussels sprouts with beets.
5. Chamomile
Chamomile is another flavor-enhancing companion plant for Brussels sprouts. Hence, most gardeners of Brussels sprouts consider it as a companion plant. However, it would help if you took proper care while planting chamomile.
It is a low-growing herb that grows like a creeper and quickly spreads. Hence, you must distribute it at proper distances, usually one plant every 150 feet. You must not disperse it too near to Brussels sprouts as it might affect its growth while spreading quickly.
All said and done, and you shall like the daisy-like apple-scented flowers of this companion plant. So why not get some scented friends for your Brussels sprouts.
6. Geraniums and Nasturtiums
You can expect a lot from Geraniums and Nasturtiums as companion plants for Brussels sprouts. They attract away and repel everything that harms Brussels sprouts. They repel insects such as cabbage worms, cabbage loopers, and flea beetles. It is due to their astringent and peppery smell.
Besides, aphids that feed on Brussels sprouts are also attracted away from them by Nasturtiums. They act as a trap for aphids where they flock to. Flea beetles deteriorate Brussels sprouts by chewing their leaves and roots. However, this problem does not exist when you have Nasturtiums at your side.
7. Sage
Sage is one of the best options for choosing companion plants for Brussels sprouts. It makes Brussels sprouts more succulent and tasty. Sage can also keep moths and rust flies away from Brussels sprouts. It is also a companion plant to rosemary, and the three of them can survive well with each other at their sides.
8. Marigolds
Marigolds are companions for many garden plants. You need not think twice before planting marigolds, as their charming view and alluring scent shall make your day. While you enjoy the smell of marigold flowers, many insects and bugs can not stand it. It makes a perfect match for a companion plant as it shall always repel harmful pests and bugs.
Marigolds are also excellent sources of pollination as they attract bees to the garden. So you get multiplied benefits with marigolds besides keeping in check numerous pests like nematodes, beetles, and cabbage worms. So you can get some bright and sunny friends for your Brussels sprouts.
9. Mint
The same formula applies to mint as a companion plant for Brussels sprouts as the marigolds. The aroma of mint deters many insects and pests that harm Brussels sprouts. So you can get some herbal medicine for your Brussels sprouts garden in the form of mint.
Also Read About : Spinach Companion Plants: What to Grow With Spinach?
10. Broccoli
Broccoli belongs to the same family as the Brussels sprouts. Hence, you can expect both to have similar growing conditions. The same is valid for cabbage and cauliflowers. Being cousins, these plants survive in harmony next to each other.
However, before planting them together, you must dig deeper into the pests and insects that attack broccoli and others in the family. These insects and pests might also end up harming your Brussels sprouts.
11. Mustard Green
Mustard green acts as a good trap for insects that feed on Brussels sprouts. Hence, it keeps in check the pest activity around Brussels sprouts incredibly. You must uproot the greens and change the location of the plants that have started to get affected by the targeted pests.
If you ignore this step, the pests shall eventually spread to your Brussels sprouts and destroy them at a fast pace.
12. Carrots
You can also consider carrots for companion planting Brussels sprouts. Carrots work towards enhancing the flavor of Brussels sprouts while benefiting your garden in many ways possible. You can undoubtedly get extra food out of carrots in your garden.
Bonus Read: 15 Easiest Vegetables to Grow for Beginners
13. Alfalfa
Alfalfa also benefits Brussels sprouts from a nutritional point of view. Brussels sprouts require a high amount of nitrogen in the soil for better growth. However, the soil in many places might lack nitrogen.
But Alfalfa is a leguminous crop that acts as a great nitrogen supplier in the soil, thus deterring any nitrogen deficiency. Hence, Alfalfa is known as a cover crop for Brussels sprouts.
Similarly, you can plant some other cover crops for Brussels sprouts, such as clover, winter rye, and vetch.
Considerations for Brussel Sprouts
Brussel sprouts are crops that need good companions to grow and thrive. Hence, you must ensure it does not get a rival plant on its side. It may diminish its growth. So, here are a few factors you must consider while selecting companion plants for Brussel Sprouts.
- It must have the same water requirement as that of Brussel Sprouts.
- It must not compete with Brussel Sprouts for water, nutrients, or space.
- It must have the same growing season as that of Brussel Sprouts.
- It must grow in identical sunlight as Brussels sprouts.
- It must attract beneficial insects and pollinators.
- It should be helpful as food or for enhancing the look of your garden.
Brussel Sprouts Companion Plants To Avoid
In this section of the article, you will find a list of some plants you should avoid as companion plants with Brussels sprouts. Read on to know more.
1. Brassicas
Brassicas may belong to the same family as Brussel Sprouts. But they can not be grown close together. It is because of their similar growing conditions. It makes them compete with Brussels sprouts for water and nutrients. Moreover, other Brassicas are prone to the same diseases and pests, which puts Brussels sprouts in a danger zone, if you take Brassicas as their companions.
2. Strawberries
No matter how delicious, you should not plant strawberries close to Brussel Sprouts. Strawberries compete with Brussels sprouts for space. It affects the growth of sprouts, thus making strawberries bad companions.
3. Tomatoes
Tomatoes and other nightshades do not make good companions for Brussels sprouts. Nightshades need many nutrients to grow, which is true for Brussels sprouts. Hence, they are doomed to compete with each other for nutrients.
FAQ’s
Brussel sprouts grow by spreading outwards. Hence, you can not plant them close together to give them ample space. The spacing must be at least 18-24 inches.
No. Brussel sprouts are usually harvested in September. Hence, it would help if you planted it in early spring.
Brussel sprouts can grow up to a height of 3 feet.
If you look forward to transplanting Brussels sprouts, you can plant them in October.
Brussel sprouts can go up to a depth of 13 mm.
Conclusion
Companion planting can be a significant step towards the harmonic growth of your garden and its contents. Brussels sprouts are one of the most popular members of the cabbage family found in the gardens of almost every gardener out there. However, numerous problems exist regarding pests, insects, nutritional deficiencies, and flavor improvements.
Companion planting Brussels sprouts can tackle these problems with numerous plants listed above. Each companion plant comes with added benefits that you can utilize for your little cabbages.
So now that you have a well-prepared list of companion plants for Brussels sprouts, those insects and pests feeding on your garden need to be taught a lesson.