Companion plants either help a particular crop grow or will have a better growth beside a particular crop. They also perform other functions in the garden which include:
1) Repel Insect Pests: Cabbage worms, cucumber beetles, cabbage moths, e.t.c can plague your Brussel sprouts garden. Having companion plants such as marigold flowers, catnip, and rue planted near them will help in repelling the pests and keep your sprouts pest-free.
2) Attract Beneficial Insects: Pollinators such as bees and ladybugs can visit your Brussel sprouts and pollinate the crops. Gardeners most times, grow attractive plants such as borage flowers to invite pollinators.
Read also: How do I Know When my Brussel Sprouts are ready to be Picked?
3) Improve Soil Nutrients: Growing of crops take up valuable nutrients from the soil and thus, the need to renew the soil’s nutrients. Companion plants such as pole beans and bush beans help in adding nutrients back into the soil and also helps keep other plants healthy and well-fed.
4) Encourage Faster Growth or Better Taste: Companion plants like chamomile, summer, and marjoram release certain chemicals which encourage faster growth or more preferable taste in the plants surrounding them, thereby leasing to better and quicker harvest for home gardeners.
5) Provide Ground Cover: Plants, like oregano, serves as a blanket over the soil. They help in protecting it from the sun and keeping it cooler for plants which need it.
6) Provide Necessary Shade: Plants like zucchini and asparagus which grow tall can provide welcome shade for plants beneath them which are sun-sensitive.
Read also: Are Brussel Sprouts Perennial?
Companion Plants that Grow with Brussels Sprouts
These companion plants help in deterring aphids, small green caterpillars and other pests that can wreak havoc on the leaves. Examples of these companion plants include:
1) Basil. They repel thrips. Thrips are pests which suck out the juices of young sprout leaves. Also, plant Basil away from Brussel sprouts.
2) Dill: Dill, including other aromatic herbs such as rosemary, oregno, sage, mint should be planted away from Brussel sprouts so as to attract the pests far enough from your crop.
3) Garlic, including other alliums such as onions, shalloys, and leeks which enhance the sweetness of mature Brussels sprouts can also be planted. Alliums are known to possess antifungal properties which work as a natural insect repellant within the soil.
4) Geraniums and Nasturtiums: They help repel pests such as cabbage worms, cabbage loopers, and flea beetles which can harm your Brussel sprouts with the aid of their peppery, astringent scent. Planting them away from Brussel sprouts will also help in attracting pests such as aphids away, which feed on Brussel sprouts.
5) Beets: Magnesium is an important component when it comes to growing Brussel sprouts successfully well. Thus, add a boost of these fertilization to the soil.
6) Chamomile: This is otherwise referred to as flavours enhancing companion plant. However when dispersing it near the rows of Brussel sprouts, take proper caution as it spreads quickly. Thus, let your target be one plant approximately per 150 feet.
Read also: Can Brussel Sprouts be grown in Pots?
Conclusion
I hope you find this article helpful. I would like to hear from you. So, let me know if you have any questions about Brussels sprouts companion plants.
References
- “Scientific Cultivation of Brussels sprouts (Brassica oleracea L. var. gemmifera)” retrieved from here
- “Brussels Sprouts” retrieved from here
- “Yield formation in Brussels sprouts” retrieved from here
