I consider choosing companion plants for kohlrabi to be equal parts creativity and practicality, with a smidgen of folk wisdom sprinkled in.
Kohlrabi, Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes, is a brassica, and it’s one of the oddest-looking cole crops you can grow. It sports an above-ground bulb in purple or light green that sprouts stalks of the same color with green leaves.
You’ll need to get a little creative in finding either vegetables or cool-season ornamentals that will look attractive growing or blooming alongside it.
But you’ll want to be sensible, too, growing this vegetable next to plants that will deter the pests it’s prone to.
The ideal companions may also attract beneficial insects, cast some shade as the weather warms up, or improve the use of soil nutrients in your garden.
Some of my suggested companions provide two or more of these benefits in combination.
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Along with taking companion plant research seriously, I also entertain a bit of the commonsense home-gardener advice that enriches the concept.
There is hard science behind some of the rules for choosing vegetables to grow next to each other to benefit one or both, but some of what we know is more a matter of shared experience akin to folk wisdom – particularly the claims that one plant will make the fruit of another taste better.
When companion planting recommendations come from these sources versus the science lab, I always like to offer the advice to go ahead and try it when it’s appealing.
Most of the do’s and don’ts aren’t that restrictive, and you might find a tried-and-true combo that will work for you.
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