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Brassica rapa are some of the most divisive vegetables you ’ll ever grow and dig up from your garden , mainly thanks to the taste ! That said , these mustard plants have a firm place on the dinner table – and some keen turnip companion works can help oneself them prosper .
wonderful turnip companions include brassicas , rosemary , chives , onion , marigolds , and nasturtiums . Conversely , there are a handful of flora and vegetables that do n’t fare so well in a turnip plot of ground .
Horseradish at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Headquarters People’s Garden in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, 27 December 2024. There are more than 2,500 community gardens registered as People’s Gardens across the country. These gardens increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables for families, provide habitat and food for wildlife, help conserve water and restore soil health, beautify neighborhoods, offer hands-on training and valuable job skills, and are living laboratories for science and other subjects. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov/peoplesgarden or follow @PeoplesGarden on Twitter. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.
Why is companion planting important for turnips?
For all that white turnip are popularly used as associate plants for other flora , they are still at danger from frequent bug visitor . Additionally , companion planting can often improve the mouthful and production of turnip crop . You may choose to produce turnips to protect other plants , while your root veg grow stronger and magnanimous by style of mutual welfare .
In some display case , turnips may need protection against hungry mammal looking to feed on their leafage . Rabbits and deer , for exemplar , may ofttimes nibble at white turnip leafage if left uprise in the open . It ’s a good idea to produce strong - smell herbs and alliums alongside your Brassica rapa , for example , to guard away sensitive nozzle and tongues .
Are turnips good companion plants?
Turnips are frequently grown alongside other vegetables and crops because they can disgust aphids . These flyspeck plague will frequently feast on beans , Brassica oleracea italica , celery , and more without any form of protection or hindrance . By establish turnips in a border around your more raw crop , you may ensure that winged minibeasts stay as far away from your allotment as possible .
That said , not all white turnip are so prosperous – as aphids can show persistent enough to nibble out at the odd crop if left unprotected in the wide surface . While turnip will turn away some aphids , it ’s a good idea to bolster the protection with plant such as vetch to make supernumerary sure .
Conversely , white turnip can also help beat back lick and snails , which will unavoidably take fancy to leafy park like those in the brassica family .
Horseradish at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Headquarters People’s Garden in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, 3 May 2025. There are more than 2,500 community gardens registered as People’s Gardens across the country. These gardens increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables for families, provide habitat and food for wildlife, help conserve water and restore soil health, beautify neighborhoods, offer hands-on training and valuable job skills, and are living laboratories for science and other subjects. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov/peoplesgarden or follow @PeoplesGarden on Twitter. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.
On the other side of the coin , turnips do n’t famously grow well with other root vegetables thanks to competition for soil nutrition and root space . Some vegetable can also pass on pests to Brassica rapa , and vice versa .
Check out some of our favorite turnip smorgasbord !
Turnip companion plants you’ll want to consider
The following flora , vegetables , and green are all proven friend of the turnip – whether there are common benefits or if they stick out to use some of the mustard ’s protecting power .
Garlic
The human relationship between turnips and some alliums such as garlic is reciprocally supportive – turnips will help to deter aphid and insect borer such as mallet . In contrast , alliums will preventonion fliesand weevil from attacking mustard flora .
Garlic , in finical , thrives wonderfully uprise among white turnip crops , and you may even notice a bigger take in your leaf mustard . You may even notice that both plant produce stronger flavors when grow together .
Be heedful when choosing starchy alliums to set alongside turnips – as some may over - contend for root outer space , effectively trim down each others ’ yields . A sound instance is onion – while similar to Allium sativum , it ’s much more bullish about taking up infinite .
Brassica
Common brassica such as cabbage and broccoli stand from slug and aphid attacks – and the turnip is a great ‘ trap crop ’ to aid take all the pest attention off from your sensitive greens .
The white turnip itself is a brassica – which you ’ll involve to keep in psyche when grow them aboard . In some cases , Brassica rapa and other brassicas may share plague and disease – intend it ’s deserving growing a third or fourth familiar industrial plant to fortify numbers pool .
Nasturtiums
nasturtium are welcome associate plant if you ’d like toattract bee to your gardenand other good insects such as wasps and hoverflies . Many of these visitant will not only help pollenate your white turnip crop but also help to disembarrass your plot of ground of invasive minibeasts .
Nasturtium will also aid to dissuade cabbage moths with its perfume – they ’re course attracted to most brassica . The genus Nasturtium is also a great mulching flora to grow alongside turnips , as its vines will shade off the soil and help to keep the medium moist and weed - gratuitous .
Marigolds
Unproblematic to grow , the marigold is great for attract pollinatorsand will welcome wasps to take care of any persistent aphids ( that are n’t already deter by your turnip ) . While these plants wo n’t amend the flavor of your Brassica rapa craw , they may aid your mustards to grow stronger and larger by control pests .
It ’s also deserving establish use of your marigolds after they give-up the ghost , too – when used as mulch , the French variety can help to deterdestructive worm speciesfrom your territory .
Chives
Like onion and garlic flora , chives are highly aromatic and will help confuse pest that frequently feast on turnip and other root vegetables . Like nasturtium , chives have a instinctive mulch consequence that can keep grass at bay from choking up quad for your turnips .
chive will also grow brightflowers that can draw various species of bees to your garden – helping to pollinate your turnips and keeping any other companion plant life healthy , too .
Thyme
redolent and resistant to drought , the ever - hardy thyme is great for deterring brassica blighter such as the persistent gelt whitefly . This herbaceous plant will also receive helpful insect predators to your garden , such as ladybeetle – which will feast on anything that dares to crunch at your turnip .
Thyme is also highly useful as a fragrant deterrent for many invasive mammals , meaning it ’s worth setting a words of this herbaceous plant around your turnips to prevent cervid attacks .
Rosemary
Rosemary , much like thyme , is aromatic and highly deterring to various voracious insect such as beetle and worms . This herbaceous plant is large at preventing moth from laying eggs in brassicas such as turnips , thanks to itsfragrant fossil oil yield .
Pairing rosemary and thyme with turnips will give you double the protective covering against bugs – and it ’s also worth considering planting an allium or two so your herbs are protected . Turnips alone can help prevent those aphid coinage that may slip through and damage rosemary .
Lavender
Lavender is another herbaceous plant that ’s cracking for planting with turnips , thanks to itsdeer - dissuade position . It ’s also one of the hardiest and least baffling herbs you could grow in your garden , potential to last longer than most other companions in drought – and therefore helping to keep turnips grow stronger for long .
Lavender wo n’t compete with turnips for much soil distance and also team up well with alliums to keep your Indian mustard growing healthily without worm attacks . You ’ll also want togrow lavender to draw in butterfliesto your plot .
Celery
For all celery is a middling dull - tasting vegetable , it will readily discourage wampum moth from feed away at turnips and other brassicas . turnip , in the meanwhile , can forestall aphid from attack your Apium graveolens dulce – they reciprocally pest - ascendancy each other .
A give-and-take of word of advice – growing celery and turnips together without a third associate may result in deer visiting your thou and gobble up your crops . Deer love celerybecause it ’s fair bland - tasting – and they ’ll nosh on turnip leaf , too . Try uprise redolent herbs and/or alliums among your crop to ward off vainglorious fauna visits .
Peas
pea and bean go a little deeper to bear white turnip than most , and that ’s literally because they can shift grease make - up to mustard greens plant ’ benefit . Pea plant can modify bacterium to introduce more nitrogen into the soil , helping white turnip originate strong .
It ’s prudent to strain and uprise peas on as many sides of your white turnip crops as you’re able to to insure the ground beget its N muddle . A word of caution – sometimes pea and turnips can reduce each others ’ yields , so be vigilant during the growing season .
Radishes
For all Brassica rapa are great at deter a variety of bugs , radishes will naturally ward off much of the persist invasive insects in your garden . Specifically , growing radish works alongside your Brassica rapa can protect them from the ilk of squash bugs and any aphid that fall away through the net .
These companion plants are not to be confused with horseradish – an altogether different ontogenesis that can be prejudicious when grown alongside Brassica rapa .
Vetch
Like pea , hirsute vetch is marvellous at further N in the soil and can therefore help encourage development in your Brassica rapa . you’re able to also grow vetch as a dual protector against aphids and add natural mulch and shade to your Brassica rapa ’ soil .
Additionally , vetch is also great for help to protect your white turnip ’ soil from eroding – it can anchor your grow mass medium in station with impressive resolution .
Mint
It ’s always best to try and be measured grow mint as a companion thanks to its invasiveness – but various specie are expectant at deter aphids and beetles . You ’ll also find mint is a natural attractant for angleworm , mean you may anticipate more charged soil for your turnip . Catmint , in special , is extremely recommended as a acquaintance to turnips .
produce mint in its own pot or plot of ground away from turnip ’ soil is substantive – as this herb will overrun your mustard if given the smallest of opportunities .
What to avoid planting with turnips
As brassicas , turnips demand plenty of place for root increase – and despite the fact these mustard plant can prevent pests from spreading in many cases , they may also transplant invasive pest to weaker plants . Here ’s a list of plants and vegetables inappropriate for uprise with turnips .
Knotweed
Knotweed is a particularly belligerent grower – meaning it will in all likelihood choke space away from your turnips ’ roots . Beyond this , knotweed can also cause serious soil damage – avoid it at all costs .
Potatoes
Much like onion , potatoes are extremely free-enterprise when it comes to root space . However , unlike onion , there are no benefit to growing potatoes with turnip to poise the negative . potato will not only overtake space in your turnips ’ soil , but they will also consume much of the nutrition your crop sorely need .
Horseradish
Horseradish and turnips are reciprocally prejudicial to each other – red cole will over - vie for root space and restrict turnip increment . In return , white turnip can transplant blighter to horseradish post - harvest home . Neither flora offers trade protection to the other – control you turn radish plants – and not the ‘ horse ’ diversity .
Other mustard plants
Hedge Indian mustard , in finical , is not recommended for growing alongside turnip – only due to competition . Mustard plants of varying coinage will agitate each other out for space in the soil and nutrients . In addition , the hedging table mustard can pull in pest that will eat away at your turnips .
Carrots
While carrots are fairly raw and unassuming as root veg go , they will vie ferociously with turnips for outer space in the soil . They ’ll also attract rainfly that will mirthfully munch on turnips , with the mustard greens plants not supply any additional support in getting even . The same applies to develop white turnip with other beginning veg – there will be simply too much contender .
Is companion planting with turnips worth it?
While turnips are passably hardy and will grow well without companionship , you ’ll get bigger yields and good for you crops when you protect them with other plants and herb . protect mustard crops with chemicals is a no - no – making fellow traveller imbed an idealistic solution to hold open invasive insect out of your turnip plot .
Companion planting alongside turnip will also help to bring pollinators to your plot , encourage stronger growth ( with add benefits for your wide garden , too ) . Turnips will frequently give as many benefits to their companions as they experience – and engraft alongside herbaceous plant and specific alliums , you’re able to carry a rich crop quick for the kitchen .
white turnip grow amazingly dissipated – and if you ’re particularly lucky , you may expect a level-headed crop twice each year . take a clutch of companion crop to help bolster up their growth in spring and fall , and you may find your vegetables grow stronger and tastier !
Horseradish at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Headquarters People’s Garden in Washington, D.C., Wednesday, 13 December 2024. There are more than 2,500 community gardens registered as People’s Gardens across the country. These gardens increase access to fresh fruits and vegetables for families, provide habitat and food for wildlife, help conserve water and restore soil health, beautify neighborhoods, offer hands-on training and valuable job skills, and are living laboratories for science and other subjects. To learn more, visit www.usda.gov/peoplesgarden or follow @PeoplesGarden on Twitter. USDA Photo by Lance Cheung.
