Not only will you have a ready list of companions by the end of this article, but you will also understand the ways in which these plants will help your kale thrive.The primary purpose of planting herbs along with kale is to attract predatory insects that will keep pests in check.Insectary plants provide nectar, pollen, and shelter for predatory and parasitoid beneficial insects – the kind we want around.Love it or hate it, cilantro (Coriandrum sativum) attracts hoverflies (Syrphidae) and other beneficial insects, so it’s a great addition to your garden.It’s the good life indeed when your beans and rice are blessed by the fresh, bright taste of homegrown cilantro.Dill (Anethum graveolens) is perhaps the only garden herb I love as much as cilantro, and the beneficial insects seem to agree.Hoverflies – one of my favorite beneficial insects to observe – are more attracted to yellow and white flowers than other colors, and dill fits this description.Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) was found to lower populations of tobacco cutworm (Spodoptera litura) in Chinese kale crops.You’ll need to either treat this tropical plant as an annual, or overwinter it indoors in Zones 8 and lower.Brassicas tend to be prone to the same pests and diseases, so planting them together can easily lead to an outbreak.This doesn’t mean you can’t plant it with other heavy feeders, but if you do, make sure you add an extra source of nitrogen – such as well-rotted manure – to your soil.One of my favorite varieties is the heirloom, ‘Blue Lake,’ a type of snap bush bean.It produces high yields of classic green beans that will be ready to harvest in 50-70 days.You can find organic ‘Blue Lake’ bush bean seeds at True Leaf Market.In a study conducted in 1998, published in the Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology, hot peppers (Capsicum annuum) were found to attract Trichogramma chilonis, a type of parasitic wasp, so add hot peppers to your list of insectary plants.There are many types of hot pepper out there, so even if you aren’t a fan of scorching, spicy heat, you might enjoy discovering some of the milder ones just for their intriguing flavors.One study in Kenya in 2003 published by the International Center of Insect Physiology and Ecology, found that tomatoes interplanted with kale reduced infestations of diamondback moths (Plutella xylostella), a damaging pest, as well as other pest insects and diseases.Onions, leeks, garlic, shallots, and chives – I’ve never met an allium I didn’t like.Their lovely purple blossoms nod in the warm breeze on a summer day, standing out amongst all the leafy garden plants.Alliums aren’t just pretty – they earn their keep by deterring moths, mites, aphids, and flea beetles from your kale.They are easy and inexpensive to buy at the market, so I’d rather keep my garden real estate for the vegetables that are harder to come by.Organic evergreen bunching onion seeds are available for purchase at True Leaf Market.From gorgeous quiches to soups that have a certain je ne sais quoi, the leek will elevate your cooking.Check out the delicious leek, artichoke, and red pepper quiche recipe at Foodal.There are many annual flowers that can provide benefits for your garden kale, but some have a more established track record than others, and are more commonly found.And I’m not the only one who likes that smell – hoverflies do, too, and their larval form feeds on aphids, a common pest for growers of cruciferous vegetables.I like to add several varieties of marigold to my garden every year, including those that are nice and tall.They provide excellent ground cover and attract predatory and parasitoid insects to naturally control pest populations like aphids.This variety grows 10-12 inches high with an 8 to 10-inch spread, and seeds are available from True Leaf Market.Sweet alyssum’s low-growing, mounding form will make it an excellent ground cover in your garden, and since it’s not a heavy feeder, it won’t compete with your main crop for nitrogen.Kale looks lovely in a mixed veggie and flower bed, and a low growing variety of sweet alyssum will make an excellent border for such plantings.Seeds for the white-flowered ‘Tiny Tim’ variety, which grows only 3 inches tall, can be found at True Leaf Market.These cover crops can also act as a “green manure” when you dig them into the soil at the end of the growing season, adding nutrients and organic matter.It can act as a ground cover crop, encouraging water retention and preventing soil degradation.One of the beneficial insects buckwheat attracts is the minute pirate bug, which feeds on aphids, thrips, and small caterpillars.Also known as “broom corn,” sorghum attracts parasitic wasps, which are predators of several pests that affect kale.If you garden in a climate where kale does not thrive in full sun, you can use a taller plant such as sorghum to provide it with a little shade.You can get organic hairy vetch cover crop seeds in package sizes from one to 50 pounds at True Leaf Market. .
Best companion plants for kale: herbs, flowers and veg to grow next
But although science doesn’t yet have all the answers, research is increasingly beginning to show that by creating ‘monocultures’ in this way, we are simply asking for trouble.After all, if pests find a large quantity of their favorite plant in one place and there’s nothing to distract them from the sight or smell of it, logic says that they are bound to home in on it and do their worst.So a much better plan is to follow nature’s lead and instead create polycultures, with different, mutually beneficial plants growing together on our plots.And as it tastes so much better when it’s freshly picked than it does when it’s been sitting on a supermarket shelf for days, it makes sense to grow it at home.It’s a relatively easy to learn how to grow kale – except that it can easily fall prey to caterpillars that can strip all the foliage overnight.Add these tasty herb garden options to your veg patch and you'll deter pests from attacking your prized kale crops.As well as being a delicious herb to grow and use in the kitchen, cilantro (also known as coriander) makes an excellent bedfellow for kale so long as you’re happy to allow some of it to flower.That’s because cilantro flowers bring in predatory hoverflies which will help to get rid of eggs laid on the underside of the kale foliage by other insects.There’s another benefit to learning how to grow cilantro and letting some of your plants go to flower too, of course – the seeds that will subsequently form are just as useful in cooking as the tasty leaves are.Dill flowers are beautiful too – so lovely, in fact, that some gardeners include them in their flowerbed ideas purely for their visual appeal.These plants won't simply add a splash of color to your kitchen garden ideas, their strong scent will also help to protect your kale crops from a wide range of pests.If you’ve already followed our advice on how to grow marigolds and have brushed past a clump of them in high summer, you’ll know what a strong scent they give off.Low-growing nasturtiums will do this job very efficiently, while at the same time providing you with a ready source of leaves and pretty, colorful flowers to pick for summer salads.Ideal planted between rows of kale, sweet alyssum forms neat mounds of foliage covered in dainty white flowers in late spring and early summer.When we talk of alliums, many of us immediately think of the ornamental kind that add great vertical accents to the flower border in early summer.But alliums are also onions, leeks, chives, garlic and shallots – and all of these make excellent companion plants for kale as the strong scent and the oils they produce deter many common pests, including flea beetle and aphids.This is for the simple reason that they all attract the same pests and suffer from the same diseases, so by planting a lot of brassicas together you are providing a perfect breeding ground for both.The idea of companion planting is to mix things up so much that pests are confused and diseases are less likely to take hold. .
Kale Companion Plants: Friends For Your Greens
Kale has gained notoriety as a superfood, packed full of nutrients and healthy benefits.For example, strongly scented plants like herbs can attract beneficial pollinators or repel harmful pests.Plants with a sprawling habit can be used as a groundcover to conserve soil moisture, regulate temperatures, and suppress weeds from germinating.Cilantro is a great kale companion plant because it attracts beneficial insects like hoverflies.Dill and catnip are also excellent kale companion plants because they attract pollinators that increase growth.Strongly scented herbs like lemongrass can deter pests like tobacco cutworms that will attack kale.If cabbage loopers won’t stop eating your kale, grow nasturtium nearby.Hyssop is an excellent pollinator attractor and can attract beneficial insects which will aid in kale’s growth.Strongly scented flowers can also deter pests, which makes them some of the best companion plants to grow in the garden.The allium family includes plants like garlic, chives, shallots, leeks, and onions.With peas, keep the same considerations as pole beans in mind, and plan to trellis them in a direction that allows your kale to receive full sun.Be sure to allow room for the pepper plants to reach full size, and remember that they can become perennials in warmer climates.Potatoes, also members of the nightshade family with peppers, can be good companions for kale, but might not be the best choice overall.If you take care of your soil health by adding lots of organic matter, including well aged compost, you should be able to grow these nightshade companions safely near kale.Tomatoes grow much larger than other members of the nightshade family, and require significantly more nutrients.If you want to be safe, you should plant tomatoes further away from kale so they don’t compete for nutrients in the soil, growing space, or even sunlight.Keep vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, and collards away from kale.These plants won’t harm each other when grown nearby, but try to space them out in the garden to reduce the likelihood of a major pest invasion destroying all of them at once. .
Peppers don't like kale?
I've read in a number of places that peppers don't like to be planted with kale, but I couldn't find an explanation for what the problem is. .
Pepper Plant Companions – Sandia Seed Company
Flowers, chives, carrots, radishes, squash, Basil, Parsley, Dill, Marjoram, Oregano, Rosemary, cucumbers, eggplant, and onions all do well when grown in close proximity to peppers.Spinach and lettuce are suitable pepper companions because they are low-growing with shallow roots, providing an edible ground cover that helps control weeds.Make sure not to plant things too close to your peppers, so as not to shade or inhibit air circulation – but including lots of flowers, herbs and other vegetables in your garden will help increase your pepper harvest and create a pollinator habitat and healthy ecosystem.Flowers, chives, carrots, radishes, squash, Basil, Parsley, Dill, Marjoram, Oregano, Rosemary, cucumbers, eggplant, and onions all do well when grown in close proximity to peppers.Spinach and lettuce are suitable pepper companions because they are low-growing with shallow roots, providing an edible ground cover that helps control weeds.Make sure not to plant things too close to your peppers, so as not to shade or inhibit air circulation – but including lots of flowers, herbs and other vegetables in your garden will help increase your pepper harvest and create a pollinator habitat and healthy ecosystem.Learn more about.Some of our favorite native flowers for our area include Coneflowers or Wild Geraniums.Flowers, herbs and especially native plants attract beneficial insects like Lacewigs, Ladybugs, and Hoverflies, resulting in their incredible pest-eating larvae that devour aphids, caterpillars and other pests of your vegetables.We like to keep a patch of Nasturtium growing (it reseeds every year if you leave the large seedpods).Some of our favorite native flowers for our area includeGood flowers to grow around your vegetable garden include:Marigolds, Nasturtiums, Goldenrod, Black-Eyed Susans, Coneflowers / Echinacea, Penstemons, Alliums, and Geraniums (Geraniums are known to repel Japanese Beetles!If you have them nearby, that will be enough.Flowers, herbs and especially native plants attract beneficial insects like Lacewigs, Ladybugs, and Hoverflies, resulting in their incredible pest-eating larvae that devour aphids, caterpillars and other pests of your vegetables.We like to keep a patch of Nasturtium growing (it reseeds every year if you leave the large seedpods).Basil is a wonderful herb for using in all sorts of recipes, and some people say that it boosts peppers flavor if grown nearby, and it also repels pests such as aphids and spider mites.Chives are great to grow as they come back every year (perennial), and they are also said to improve the flavor and boost pepper yields.Dill also attracts ladybugs, and Black Swallowtail butterflies love laying their eggs on it.Dill also attracts hover flies, predatory wasps, and other beneficial insects, so we highly recommend growing it!Garlic repels insect pests as well, and goes great in salsas, green chile stews and pretty much any other recipe!French researchers tested 12 candidate plants under laboratory conditions, and found Rosemary to be one of the best deterrants!Just take a snipping of a young stem and put in water, and it will grow roots within a week or two, then plant in soil!French researchers tested 12 candidate plants under laboratory conditions, and found Rosemary to be one of the best deterrants!Just take a snipping of a young stem and put in water, and it will grow roots within a week or two, then plant in soil!A group of French researchers designed an experiment that tested how effective 12 different companion plants were at deterring aphids from infesting a garden.In the end, rosemary outperformed the other companion plants in both deterring aphids, and lowering their reproduction numbers.The scientists attribute this effect to the VOC, or volatile organic compounds, produced by the plants.The VOCs signal to the aphids that the vegetation in a certain area near companion plants is not suitable for rearing young, so encourages the bugs to search on for more reproduction friendly fields.Serviceberries, oaks, and other natives can really increase the presence of beneficial insects and pest-eating birds in your yard for a well-balanced ecosystem.Serviceberries, oaks, and other natives can really increase the presence of beneficial insects and pest-eating birds in your yard for a well-balanced ecosystem.You'll find that the soil will be rich and moist come spring if you give it a nice thick blanket of mulched leaves and grass clippings.By spring, you'll find that most of the leaves have reduced to near nothing, and you can dig them into the soil to continue to feed for the year.Note: we do usually clear out vegetable plant leaves and stalks at the end of the season, especially if there is any powdery mildew or other diseases or pests.You'll find that the soil will be rich and moist come spring if you give it a nice thick blanket of mulched leaves and grass clippings.By spring, you'll find that most of the leaves have reduced to near nothing, and you can dig them into the soil to continue to feed for the year.Note: we do usually clear out vegetable plant leaves and stalks at the end of the season, especially if there is any powdery mildew or other diseases or pests.Plants to avoid planting near peppers include pole beans, mustards, soybeans, lima beans, fennel, cabbage, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cauliflower, collards, kale, turnips, and strawberries.Get someand grow some New Mexico to your garden.All of the above companion plants will help your green chiles thrive! .
Companion Planting
These factors include sun exposure, weather, ecology, pollinators, insect population, soil structure and chemistry, and water supply.West Coast Seeds has conducted significant research into these companion planting guidelines and has defined the best possible results and reasons for each of our recommendations.Minimizing Risk: Companion planting increases odds of higher yields even if one crop fails or is affected by natural hardships like weather, pests, or disease.Trap Cropping: Companion planting is the ultimate organic pest management system.Ammi - This beautiful flower attracts lacewings, ladybird beetles, and parasitic wasps.Basil helps repel aphids, asparagus beetles, mites, flies, mosquitoes, and tomato horn worm.Plant with Brassicas, carrots, celery, chard, corn, cucumber, eggplant, peas, potatoes, radish, and strawberries.Plant with bush beans, Brassicas, corn, garlic, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, and mint.Brassicas (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, kohlrabi, turnip) – All benefit from chamomile, dill, mint, rosemary, and sage.Buckwheat – Fixes calcium in the soil, and makes an exceptionally good green manure plant.Calendula – Repels a number of unwanted soil nematodes and asparagus beetles, but may attract slugs.Calendula attracts a wide range of pollinators because it provides nectar over the whole growing season.Celery – Good partner for beans, Brassicas, cucumber, garlic, leek, lettuce, onion, and tomatoes.Coreopsis - This plant attracts pollinators, but also hoverflies, soldier bugs, and tachinid flies.Amaranth makes a great mulch between rows by competing with weeds and conserving ground moisture.Cosmos can be direct sown from early March to the end of June in our region so that it blooms continuously throughout the summer.Cucumber – Plant beside asparagus, beans, Brassicas, celery, corn, dill, kohlrabi, lettuce, onion, peas, radish, and tomatoes.Dill attracts ladybird beetles, parasitoid wasps, hoverflies, bees, and garden spiders, making it one of the most useful companion planting candidates.Echinacea - These perennial coneflowers attract hoverflies and parasitoid wasps, so they're useful for pest control in companion plantings.Eggplant – A good companion for amaranth, beans, marigolds, peas, peppers, spinach, and thyme.Fennel attracts hoverflies, ladybird beetles, parasitic wasps, and tachinid flies, so it's a kind of beneficial insect magnet.Gaillardia - This flower blooms over a very long period in summer, providing a rich source of nectar for a host of pollinators.Because of its sulfur compounds, it may also help repel whiteflies, Japanese beetles, root maggots, carrot rust fly, and other pests.Garlic, made into a tea, or spray, will act as a systemic pesticide, drawing up into the cells of the plants.Iberis - This early flowering plant provides nectar for pollinators before many others, and it attracts hoverflies and ground beetles.Lettuce – Good companions for beets, Brassicas, carrot, celery, chervil, cucumbers, dill, garlic, onions, radish, spinach, squash, and strawberries.Melon – Great companions for corn, marigolds, nasturtiums, pumpkin, radish, squash, and sunflowers.Onions also work well alongside beets, Brassicas, carrots, dill, kohlrabi, leeks, lettuce, strawberries and tomatoes.Peas – Superb companions for beans, carrots, celery, corn, cucumber, eggplant, parsley, peppers.Phacelia — An essential element in any organic gardener's toolkit, this multi-purpose annual flower is fast to mature, and amazingly attractive to a host of pollinators and beneficial insects.Notably, it attracts bees and predatory hoverflies to improve pollination and combat pest insects.Plant Phacelia around any crop showing poor pollination, particularly squash (including zucchini and pumpkin), melons, and cucumbers.Avoid planting potatoes near asparagus, Brassicas, carrots, cucumber, kohlrabi, melons, parsnips, rutabaga, squash, sunflower, and turnips.Rosemary repels cabbage moths, Mexican bean beetles, and carrot rust flies.Spinach – A good companion for Brassicas, eggplants, leeks, lettuce, peas, radish, and strawberries, particularly.Sunflowers are attractive to a host of wild and domestic bees, and also ladybird beetles, which prey on aphids.Tithonia - Plant this so-called Mexican Torch to attract parasitoid wasps, parasitic flies, and soldier bugs to your garden.Tomatoes – Another sensitive plant when it comes to companions, tomatoes benefit from asparagus, basil, beans, borage, carrots, celery, chives, collards, cucumber, garlic, lettuce, marigold, mint, nasturtium, onion, parsley, and peppers.Yarrow – Its scent repels aphids, but attracts hoverflies, lady beetles, and wasps that prey on garden grubs.The leaves and stems of yarrow contain enzymes that break down rapidly, so it can be added to the compost raw or as a tea to accelerate the heap.Damp, acidic soil can host club root (for example), which can be a real problem for broccoli and Brussels sprouts.Please feel free to contact us for clarification at [email protected] westcoastseeds.com, and we will do our best to bring better depth to our guides so that all of our customers can benefit. .
