Cauliflower Companion Plants

Top 10 Cauliflower Companion Plants (Updated 2023)

With how many foods you can turn cauliflower into, growing it in your garden is a no-brainer. In order to make sure cauliflower grows to its best potential, knowing the top 10 cauliflower companion plants helps tremendously. 

Picking the best companion plants for your cauliflower means both plants benefit from each other. They protect each other from pests while sharing nutrients that ultimately help both plants grow.

Since cabbage family plants like cauliflower are known to eat up a lot of nutrients and water, the plants you choose to plant beside them need to be selected carefully. 

Plants that live well with cauliflower can be edible or non-edible. You have a variety of choices that allows your selected crops to thrive in tandem with each other, leading to the best harvest you could hope for. 

Top 10 Cauliflower Companion Plants 

Whether you want a garden that simply has edible plants, or one with both fresh vegetables and flowers, you have great options for companions to cauliflower. These plants enjoy the same soil as cauliflower, and can help enhance your cauliflower’s flavor and overall growth. 

Other companion plants:

1. Pole Beans

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Pole beans are a legume that is a fantastic choice for amateur gardeners. What’s more, any kind of legume helps to add extra nitrogen to the soil which your cauliflower appreciates greatly. 

Mature Size: Pole beans typically grow to be between four to eight feet, and will reach this size in about two months.

Flowering: Plant pole beans towards the end of spring to be harvested in the fall, making sure they get at least six hours of sunlight each day.

Key Features: Tall, thin stems and branches; beans grow in pods or shells.

2. Celery

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Celery helps protect your cauliflower from the pesky cabbage moth and other pests. Celery does require a lot of water to grow, but the good thing is it doesn’t need much else, leaving all the nutrients in the soil available for your cauliflower. 

Mature Size: Celery is mature when the stalks are two to three inches in diameter; lower stalks should stretch at least six inches in height; reaches maturity in about 120-130 days.

Flowering: Celery should be harvested when it’s mature and before the season starts turning cold and frosty.

Key Features: Stiff green stalks of celery grow completely underground, with small green leaves sticking atop the soil. 

3. Thyme

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Thyme is a wonderful herb for any garden. This herb doesn’t just smell delicious, but it also helps to deter pests from getting into your cauliflower as it tries to grow. Instead, thyme only brings pollinators around, which helps all the plants in your garden. 

Mature Size: The thyme plant has reached its mature size when stalks are between six and 12 inches tall. 

Flowering: Thyme should be planted after the final front in the beginning of spring. 

Key Features: Thyme consists of very small green leaves that grow on thin branches, and the leaves possess a very strong aroma. 

4. Onions

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Having onions in your garden is essential if you love to cook. It also happens to make a good companion for cauliflower because it stops common pests known to eat cauliflower from invading. The only thing is if you have beans in your garden, make sure the onion isn’t anywhere nearby. 

Mature Size: An onion has reached maturity and is ready to harvest when the bulb is between three to four inches wide. 

Flowering: Onions can be planted towards the end of winter or early in the spring depending on the condition of the soil. 

Key Features: Onions consist of a bulbous, round plant with either a white, brown, or red skin, and skinny green leaves on top. 

5. Beets

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Beets and cauliflower both have benefits for each other when they grow together in a garden. Beet leaves add some extra nutrients into the soil, which your cauliflower loves. 

Mature Size: When beets are mature, they typically measure between three to four inches around. 

Flowering: Beets need warm soil to grow, so wait until mid spring or early summer to plant them. 

Key Features: Beets are a red vegetable with dark red stems that have green leaves at the top.  

6. Marigold

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Marigold is a stunning flower that adds a splash of vibrance to any garden. Outside of their beauty, marigolds also repel lots of bugs as well as bigger pests like rabbits and deer. 

Mature Size: Marigolds can vary in mature size; some grow up to three feet tall while others only grow to be six inches. 

Flowering: Marigold seeds should be scattered in your garden in either the spring or early summer. 

Key Features: Marigold flowers grow in a variety of beautiful colors on tall, green stems and have a very sweet smell. 

7. Garlic

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When you have garlic in your garden near cauliflower, it eats away at any of the bad stuff in soil that could spoil the growth of your cauliflower. This powerful benefit also spreads to any other vegetables you might have in your garden. 

Mature Size: Garlic takes a long time to mature, but when it reaches that point, it’s typically between 18 to 24 inches tall. 

Flowering: While it’s best to plant your garlic in the fall, you can plant it in the spring as well. 

Key Features: The white garlic bulb grows on a tall, green stalk. 

8. Spinach

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This delicious leafy green grows nicely beside cauliflower because it doesn’t need the same kind of nutrients that cauliflower does, so they get along well instead of fighting each other for food. 

Mature Size: Spinach is mature when it stands vertically at about one foot tall.

Flowering: Spinach should be planted when it’s still somewhat cold, at least a month or so before the final front of the late winter or early spring. 

Key Features: Spinach leaves are green and are either oval or triangular, growing inside the grown on very thin green stems. 

9. Fennel

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Fennel is quite an easy plant to grow and adds some unique bite to a variety of dishes. The fennel plant can also help keep pests off of your cauliflower plants, which obviously deters their growth. Just make sure fennel doesn’t grow near dill should you choose to have both in the same garden. 

Mature Size: Fennel can actually grow up to six feet tall, with the majority of the plant being leaves instead of the actual fennel stalk. 

Flowering: You actually get a pretty generous window to plant fennel; anywhere between the final frost of the season to the early summer is suitable. 

Key Features: Fennel grows in a gradient of green to white, with very tall leaves and a signature licorice flavor. 

10. Dill

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Dill has an intoxicating aroma, not just for us, but for pollinators too. This makes it a top choice for an herb to have in your garden, especially around cauliflower. What’s more, dill makes sure that none of the bad bugs get close to your vegetables. 

Mature Size: A mature dill plant can reach heights of between two and four feet. 

Flowering: Once the ground is no longer chilled from the winter, you can plant dill between early and mid spring. 

Key Features: Dill plants have a very pleasant smell, and grow in bundles with green stems and feathery, wispy green leaves. 

Summary

When you’re trying what kinds of vegetables are worth putting your energy into, cauliflower is by far one of the most superior choices. When you stick with the top 10 companion plants for cauliflower when planning your garden, once it’s ready to harvest, it can be turned into so many delicious dishes. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What Should Not Be Planted With Cauliflower?

Some plants that don’t do well planted with cauliflower include tomatoes, peas, and strawberries. Cauliflower also doesn’t work well next to other brassica vegetables. This is because cabbage plants all enjoy a lot of water and nutrients from the soil and fertilizer, so each variety of cabbage will compete to get the most nutrients possible. 

What Grows Well Next To Cauliflower?

Besides the plants listed in our top 10 list, some other plants that grow well next to cauliflower include mint, sage, lentils, radish, and corn. 

Can You Plant Cauliflower And Broccoli Together?

One might not realize that cauliflower and broccoli are both brassicas. They shouldn’t be planted near each other, though not everyone agrees on this as gardeners have had differing experiences with these two vegetables growing next to each other.

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