You ’ve made the smart determination toinclude kale(Brassica oleraceavar.acephala ) in your vegetable garden . Kudos , that is an first-class choice .

And now you ’re question which plants are the good fellow for this cherishedcruciferous plant life .

There are a wide selection of buddies usable for your kale , and I urge that you pick not just one , but several of them .

A close up of a raised garden bed with mature, healthy Tuscan kale growing amongst bright nasturtium flowers, an other leafy vegetable plants in light sunshine.

Green lacewing larva, a predatory insect, feeds on aphids, a kale pest

multifariousness , variety , diversity – always an important mantra in the garden .

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Not only will you have a quick list of associate by the end of this article , but you will also understand the slipway in which these plant will help your lucre thrive .

A raised garden bed with a large curly kale plant with cascading red nasturtium flowers and large flat green leaves, surrounded by vegetable companion plants. To the center and bottom of the frame is white and green text.

Green lacewing larva, a predatory insect, feeds on aphids, a kale pest

Here ’s what we ’ll address :

What You’ll Learn

Companion Roles

When choosing the best companions for moolah , we want plants that play the following roles :

Some plants will do more than one job – sotake vantage of the companionswith multiple roles and you ’ll get more bang for your buck .

Kale’s Companions

There is a wide scope of suitable companions for this cruciferous works , and they offer their assistance in dissimilar way .

I ’m endure to cover a few of the more common garden plant you’re able to use , explain how they can facilitate , and suggest some of my favorites .

Herbs

The primary purpose of planting herbs along with kale is to draw predatory insects that will keep pests in check .

Call them herbs if you like , but for companion planting purposes , you may also call them “ insectary plants . ”

Insectary plants put up nectar , pollen , and shelter for predatory and parasitoidbeneficial insect – the form we desire around .

A raised garden bed with a large curly kale plant with cascading red nasturtium flowers and large flat green leaves, surrounded by vegetable companion plants. To the center and bottom of the frame is white and green text.

Many of these insectsare pollinatorsas well , so attempt to think of them as beneficial buddies instead of tiny , heartless monsters .

Some herb also help by repel blighter . And most herbs are light feeders , which mean they do n’t compete with your crop for N .

Love it or hate it , cilantro ( Coriandrum sativum ) attracts hoverflies ( Syrphidae ) and other beneficial insect , so it ’s a groovy summation to your garden .

A colorful raised bed with dark purple curly kale contrasting with bright green, thin dill leaves, and bright orange marigolds, in light sunshine.

If you are a cilantro lover like I am , you will enjoy the wonderment of harvesting it fresh from your garden whenever you need it .

It ’s the unspoilt aliveness indeed when your beans and rice are bless by the fresh , bright taste of homegrown coriander .

On the other paw , if you ’re a cilantro hater , leave it in the garden . Either agency , you will ask to let some of your cilantro flower to render ambrosia for the beneficial bug .

A close up of a green lacewing feeding on an aphid pest, with a further aphid in front of it. The background is a light green stem fading to soft focus.

If you ’re looking for seeds to get your cilantro patch going , try the tardily - bolt ‘ Leisure ’ variety .

‘ Leisure ’

you may bribe a individual plurality of ‘ leisure time ’ cilantro seeds , or you may buy five pound of it – because there is no such matter as too much cilantro ! Seeds areavailable at Eden Brothers .

A close up of a red, white, and black ladybug on a green stalk with small white flowers, fading to soft focus in the background.

Learn more about raise cilantro here .

Anethum graveolens ( Anethum graveolens ) is perhaps the only garden herb I bonk as much as cilantro , and the beneficial insects seem to tally . If you ’ve ever grown dill before , you ’ve plausibly get wind wasp , hoverflies , and the alike darting around it mirthfully .

Hoverflies – one of my favorite good worm to observe – are more attracted to chickenhearted and whitened flower than other color , and dill fits this verbal description .

A small glass bowl containing fresh cilantro leaves, with scattered leaves around it and in the background, on a rustic hessian surface.

And although you ’ll want to leave some for the insects , of class you wo n’t want to go the whole summer without using some of this aromatic yourself .

Dill goes well with cucumbers , naturally , but my favourite elbow room to use it in the kitchen is with potatoes .

Dill is comfortable to grow from semen . The ‘ Bouquet ’ variety will be sure to make you – and your good insects – felicitous .

A close up of a yellow and black striped hover fly feeding on a light green seed head, with a soft focus green background.

‘ Bouquet ’

‘ Bouquet ’ come from Mountain Valley Seed Co. come in packets of various size of it and areavailable at dead on target Leaf Market .

take more about growing Anethum graveolens here .

A close up of a dill plant with tiny yellow flowers contrasting with the thin green stalks against a soft focus background.

This wonderful herbaceous plant acts as a repellent for sure pests . Lemongrass ( Cymbopogon citratus ) was found to lour populations of tobacco cutworm ( Spodoptera litura ) in Chinese kale crops .

And lemongrass is n’t just great in the garden . When I have lemongrass on hand , I love to use it to whip up a Thai curry for dinner party .

If the mere acknowledgment of the word “ Thai ” and “ curry ” have you salivate , I suggest you have a facial expression at this gorgeous recipe for red coconut curry chicken with lemongrass and toasted sesame noodlesover at our sis internet site , Foodal .

A top down picture of a green bowl with chicken and noodles in a creamy red curry sauce, topped with chopped nuts, cilantro, and slices of lime. To the right of the bowl are two wooden chopsticks, and lime slices. To the right of the bowl are some bunching onions. The background is a wooden surface.

If you want a overbold supply of your own for such recipes , you may implant lemon grass from seed or buy an established plant .

Lemongrass

You ’ll need to either treat this tropical flora as an annual , or overwinter it indoors in geographical zone 8 and low . You ’ll find both seeds and inhabit plantsavailable at Burpee .

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Learn more about growing lemongrass here .

Vegetables

Many veg make ripe companions for kale , and they all help out in their own unique way .

However , you may want to avoid imbed it with itsbrassicarelatives . Brassicas be given to be prone to the same pestis and diseases , so planting them together can easily lead to an outbreak .

Kale is consider a moderate to heavy N feeder .

A raised garden bed with mature Tuscan kale plants thriving amongst other vegetable plantings in bright sunshine. The background is thick green vegetation.

This does n’t mean you ca n’t implant it with other grave feeders , but if you do , make certain you add an spare source of N – such as well - rotted manure – to your filth .

Beans are nitrogen fixers , so they are good friends for this cole crop since they wo n’t vie for nitrogen , and will tally it to the land .

They are also very well-situated to grow , soif you ’re a lead off gardener , growing bean from germ will aid build your horticulture authority .

A large raised garden bed with mature Tuscan kale plants growing amongst other vegetable companion plants, in bright sunshine. In the background is blue sky, trees, and further vegetation showing a peaceful garden scene.

One of my favorite varieties is the heirloom , ‘ Blue Lake , ’ a type ofsnap bush bean plant .

‘ Blue Lake ’

It produces gamey yields of classical green bean plant that will be ready to harvest in 50 - 70 day . you may find constitutive ‘ Blue Lake ’ bush beanseeds at True Leaf Market .

A close up of a freshly harvested bunch of bright green bush beans on a rustic wooden surface.

Read more about growing various types of beans here .

In astudy carry in 1998 , published in the Journal of Asia - Pacific Entomology , hot peppers ( Capsicum annuum ) were found to attractTrichogramma chilonis , a type of parasitic wasp , so add hot peppers to your inclination of insectary plant .

Peppers are also light feeders , making sound fellow in this elbow room , as well .

A close up of red chili peppers growing on a plant, the bright vibrant color of the fruit contrasting with the dark green leaves on a soft focus background.

There are many types of hot pepper out there , so even if you are n’t a buff of scorching , spicy high temperature , you might enjoy discover some of the milder ones just for their challenging savour .

The first sentence I had afresh habanero Madagascar pepper , I was stunned at the delicious fruitiness behind the high temperature .

‘ Habanada ’

Top down view of freshly harvested habanada habanero peppers.

‘ Habanada ’ is a mixed bag of habanero that is really mild , measuring in at only 100 on the Scoville scale of measurement . This is quite a low-toned heat energy when you consider that the hottest peppers can reach into the 1000000 !

you could consecrate ‘ Habanada ’ blistering pepper seedsfrom Burpee .

Learn more about grow hot common pepper here .

A close up of a ‘Cherokee Purple’ heirloom tomato, cut in half and sliced on a wooden surface. Small herb leaves are scattered around it, and in the background are three whole tomatoes and red flowers.

One subject in Kenya in 2003 , found that tomato plant   interplanted with kale reduced infestation of diamondback rattlesnake moth ( Plutella xylostella ) , a damaging pest , as well as other pest worm and diseases .

Go ahead and works tomato and kale together . Just check that you feed them with supplemental fertiliser , because they both want a caboodle of atomic number 7 .

One of my favorite tomato varieties is ‘ Cherokee Purple , ’ an heirloom with an strange color . It ’s great for eat sliced with just a little salt , capsicum , and olive oil . Or you could put it on sandwiches and hamburgers , or dice it up for a salad .

Raised garden beds with gravel pathways in between them, showing mature kale plants growing amongst cabbage, onions, and other companion plants. In the background is an orange plastic mesh fence and more vegetable plants.

‘ Cherokee Purple ’

‘ Cherokee Purple ’ plants are undetermined with fruits growing 1 Ezra Pound each , or more . The ripe tomatoes have a gorgeous purplish red color with a bit of green on top , and the seminal fluid are environ by a lovely green gel .

I reckon this variety will become one of your darling , just as it is mine . Packets of constitutional ‘ Cherokee Purple ’ seed areavailable at Eden Brothers .

A close up of bunching onions, cleaned, with their roots still intact, held together by blue elastic bands.

find out more about growing tomatoes here .

Alliums

Onions , leek , garlic , shallots , and cive – I ’ve never met analliumI did n’t wish .

Their lovely imperial blossoms nod in the warm breeze on a summer day , standing out amongst all the leafy garden plants .

genus Allium are n’t just moderately – they take in their keep by deterring moths , mites , aphids , and flea beetles from your cole .

A close up of a chive plant with vivid purple blooms growing in a raised garden bed amongst other vegetable plants in bright sunshine.

And you could tally them to your lean of insectary plants , as well .

I ’ve never been big on growing onions .

They are easy and inexpensive to purchase at the securities industry , so I ’d rather keep my garden real estate of the realm for the vegetables that are harder to come by . I make an exception for bunching onions , though .

A close up of a chive plant with bright purple flowers. In the background is soil and plants in soft focus.

Bunching onions ( Allium fistulosum ) are humble - maintenance , tardily - drop dead flora to have in the garden . I use them asscallionsin salad , salsas , and stir - Fry . They are an all - function crop that earn their keep .

Bunching Onions

I got my first bunching onion from a plant swap , but if you do n’t have one of those in your neck opening of the woods , you’re able to implant them from cum .

A close up of four ‘American Flag’ leeks, cleaned, with their roots still attached and top leaves trimmed, on a rustic wooden surface.

constitutive evergreen plant bunching onion plant seeded player areavailable for leverage at True Leaf Market .

register more about growing bunching Allium cepa here .

Allium schoenoprasum ( Allium schoenoprasum ) are another wanton to grow garden plant . They have beautiful bloom , are not finicky , and provide a useful culinary ingredient .

A close up of a mature purple curly kale plant growing amongst small yellow and red flowers, contrasting with the small green leaves in light sunshine.

you could learn more about the wellness and preparation benefits of chivesover at Foodal .

This pest deterrent will sure make you smile when you see it bravely ward your kale . chive are easy to rule at plant life nurseries , but why not try bug out your own from ejaculate ?

cive

A close up of a marigold plant with bright yellow pom-pom flowers contrasting with the dark green leaves.

Organic chive seeds areavailable from genuine Leaf Market .

con more above grow Allium schoenoprasum here .

As another pest repellant , the Allium porrum ( Allium ampeloprasum ) should have a place in your garden . And as a preparation ingredient , it should have a place in your kitchen .

A close up of a nasturtium plant with bright red flowers and large, flat pale green leaves in bright sunlight.

In my opinion , there is no beating the leek . From gorgeous quiches to soups that have a certainje ne sais quoi , the leek will promote your cookery .

This wonderful garden plant will get you fudge all of those French dishes you ’ve always wanted to try . Check out the delicious scallion , artichoke , and red peppercorn quicherecipe at Foodal .

Get your own brisk supply of leeks by growing them as companions to your dough .

A close up of a hoverfly feeding on a tiny white alyssum flower on a green soft focus background.

‘ American Flag ’

‘ American Flag , ’ an heirloom , is a dusty - brave , winter leek variety . Seeds for this garden gemstone areavailable from Eden Brothers .

Read more about produce leeks here .

A close up of a bushy alyssum plant with tight clusters of pretty white flowers, in bright sunshine. In the background is a plant with purple flowers in soft focus.

Annual Flowers

There are many annual flowers that can offer welfare for your garden Brassica oleracea acephala , but some have a more accomplished track record than others , and are more commonly found .

All will dissemble as insectary plants , while some have additional welfare .

The smell of marigolds ( Tagetesspp . ) always delights me , let me make love that summertime has really go far .

A close up of white, pink, and purple wildflowers growing amongst hairy vetch ground cover, in light sunshine.

And I ’m not the only one who like that sense of smell – hoverflies do , too , and their larval form prey on aphids , a mutual pest for growers of cruciferous veg .

grim growing salmagundi of marigold can also make a salutary basis screen . I like to tally several varieties of marigold to my garden every year , including those that are nice and tall .

The ‘ Inca II Series’African marigoldvariety is one of the tall ones . Its seeds bring forth shaggy-haired plants that uprise up to 14 column inch gamy and have huge flush heads that reach 4 - 5 in across .

A close up of a tiny pirate bug on a white flower petal, its black and tan body contrasting against the white flower on a soft focus green background.

‘ Inca II Series ’

These come in four different colors , or if you ca n’t adjudicate , go for the variety commixture , available at dead on target Leaf Market .

Read more about growing marigolds here .

A close up of a field of buckwheat, completely covering the surface. White flowers contrast with the green leaves in the sunlight.

There ’s evidence that nasturtiums ( Tropaeolumspp . ) protect cole crops fromcabbage loopers ( Trichoplusia ni ) .

They provide excellent ground cover and attract predatory and parasitoid insects to naturally moderate cuss populations likeaphids .

Even if they did n’t help keep scathe from plague , I would admit these in my garden anyway , just because they are such a cheery small blossom .

A close up picture of two yellow and black striped hover flies on a yellow sorghum stalk, fading to soft focus in the background.

I can never really immobilize down a favored variety when it comes to nasturtiums , but I do find varieties with red prime specially attractive in the garden .

‘ Empress of India ’

‘ Empress of India ’ is one such diverseness with deep scarlet flowers . This variety grows 10 - 12 in eminent with an 8 to 10 - inch cattle ranch , and seeds areavailable from True Leaf Market .

A close up of a seed head with brown and pale green seeds on thin wispy stalks in bright sunshine.

Learn about spring up genus Nasturtium bloom here .

You ’d think sweet alyssum ( Lobularia maritima ) was all looks and no substance . But do n’t have its mounds of pretty flowers fool you .

This fragrant plant life attracts hoverflies , and is therefore an excellent aphid ascendency . It starts flower in early spring , providing a source of other nectar for good dirt ball .

A top down, close up picture of hairy vetch growing as ground cover. In between the leaves the soil is visible.

Sweet madwort ’s low - growing , mounding form will make it an splendid ground cover song in your garden , and since it ’s not a grave feeder , it wo n’t contend with your main crop for nitrogen .

‘ Tiny Tim ’

Kale look adorable in a mixed veg and heyday bed , and a low growing kind of sweet alyssum will make an excellent boundary line for such plantings . Just be aware that it ego - germ very easy and if you ’re not careful it can have a tendency to take over .

Seeds for the white - blossom ‘ bantam Tim ’ assortment , which grows only 3 in tall , can befound at True Leaf Market .

Grains and Cover Crops

Many backyard gardeners overlook planting grains and cover crops in their garden , but these plants can serve important roles in protecting your kale – along with impart some visual interest to your garden .

These cover crops can also act as a “ gullible manure ” when you dig them into the soil at the end of the mature time of year , adding nutrient and organic issue .

Buckwheat ( Fagopyrum esculentum ) can be a buddy to your kale in many unlike way .

It can act as a primer coat cover craw , encouraging water retention and keep land degradation . Although it ’s not a legume , it is a N fixer , so will tot nutrients to your entire garden .

And buckwheat attracts scrounge good insects that will avail your scratch in the pest department .

One of the good insects buckwheat attracts is the narrow sea rover hemipterous insect , which feeds on aphid , thripid , and pocket-size caterpillars .

Buckwheat is tight - growing , maturing in just 30 - 40 days , so it can act as a nursemaid plant while your seedling get established .

Buckwheat

constitutive buckwheat seed from Mountain Valley Seed Co. can be found in a variety of sizesat True Leaf Market .

Also know as “ heather corn , ” sorghum draw in epenthetic wasps , which are vulture of several pestilence that affect kale .

Along with attracting beneficial insects , sorghum has another welfare relate to its growth habit .

If you garden in a mood where kale does notthrive in full Sunday , you’re able to use a taller plant life such as sorghum to provide it with a little tone . Just be certain to plant it to the due south of your scratch .

Ornamental Broom Corn

If you ’re only growing sorghum as a beneficial plant , rather than to harvest the gluten - innocent grain , you might try implant ornamental broom corn .

you’re able to find ornamental Calluna vulgaris maize seedsat True Leaf Market .

haired vetch is a plant that exercise overtime . It ’s a nitrogen fixer , a ground natural covering , and it attracts good insects .

In one study , published in the Weed Technology Journalin 2009 , kale get with hairy vetch double yields compared to the ascendency plot uprise without it .

Ready to add hairy vetch to your garden ?

Hairy Vetch

you may get organic hirsute vetch cover harvest seeds in packet sizes from one to 50 poundsat True Leaf Market .

Want more back crop suggestions?Find our full lean here .

Bad Companions

Along with dough ’s friends , there are a few plants that are particularly hostile in the garden – these meanie are called “ allelopaths . ”

This advert to the force of certain chemicals make by one type of industrial plant on another industrial plant growing near to it .

These chemicals can get into the grease either by leaves diminish on the ground and decomposing , or by rainfall washing them from living leaf onto surrounding plants and grunge .

It ’s useful to be cognisant of allelopaths to forbid and diagnose mysterious garden problem unascribable to disease or pests .

The postdate allelopathic plants can have harmful effects on neighboring plants , include lucre :

Kale Companion Chart

Here ’s a convenient reference chart to facilitate you design your vegetable maculation :

You knew kale was democratic as a wellness food , but now you cognise it ’s jolly popular with its garden booster , too . The above list is not exhaustive , but it will give you a start in learning who your kale might like to rub shoulders with – and why !

Are there any other comrade you have had personal experience with in your garden ? We ’d love to hear about them here – and even better , we ’d love to see them growing alongside your kale if you have photos to share .

Interested in follow up on youreducation in all things kalea bit further ? We have more for you decent here :

picture by Meghan Yager © necessitate the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more details . Originally issue December 11th , 2019 . Last updated August 31st , 2023 . Cartesian product picture via Burpee , Eden Brothers , and True Leaf Market . Uncredited photograph : Shutterstock . With extra piece of writing and editing by Clare Groom and Allison Sidhu .

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Kristina Hicks - Hamblin