Collards Companion Plants

Growing collard greens is a rewarding way to add nutritious, leafy greens to your garden. To get the best harvest, knowing about collards companion plants can make a real difference in your garden’s health and yield. This guide will show you the optimal pairings to try and the ones to avoid, helping you create a thriving, resilient plot.

Companion planting is the practice of placing certain plants near each other for mutual benefit. For collards, this can mean fewer pests, better soil, and even improved flavor. It’s a natural way to garden smarter, not harder. Let’s look at the best friends your collards can have.

Best Companion Plants for Collards

These plants offer clear advantages when grown alongside your collard greens. They mainly work by repelling common pests or improving growing conditions.

Alliums (Onions, Garlic, Chives): Their strong scent is excellent at masking the smell of collards from pests like cabbage moths and aphids. They are a top choice for natural pest control.
Herbs (Dill, Mint, Rosemary, Thyme): Fragrant herbs confuse and deter many insects. Dill also attracts beneficial wasps that prey on caterpillars. Be careful with mint—it’s best planted in a pot nearby, as it can be invasive.
Legumes (Beans, Peas): These plants fix nitrogen from the air into the soil. Collards are heavy feeders that love nitrogen, so this pairing gives them a natural nutrient boost.
Root Vegetables (Beets, Celery, Potatoes): They occupy a different soil space than collards, so they don’t compete for nutrients. Beets and celery are particularly compatible.
Strong-Scented Flowers (Marigolds, Nasturtiums): Marigolds repel nematodes and other bugs with their roots and scent. Nasturtiums act as a “trap crop,” luring aphids away from your collards.

Plants to Keep Away From Collards

Just as some plants help, others can hinder. Avoid planting these near your collard greens to prevent competition and disease.

Other Brassicas (Broccoli, Cauliflower, Kale): They are in the same family and attract the same pests and diseases. Grouping them together makes it easy for problems to spread.
Strawberries: They can attract slugs, which will also happily munch on your collard leaves. It’s best to keep them in separate garden sections.
Tomatoes and Peppers: These heavy feeders will compete directly with collards for soil nutrients, potentially stunting the growth of both plants.

Planning Your Companion Planting Layout

Knowing what to plant is half the battle. The other half is knowing where to put them. Here’s a simple step-by-step approach.

Map Your Garden Bed: Sketch your garden space on paper. Note sunlight patterns and any existing plants.
Place Your Collards: Mark where your collard plants will go, spacing them about 18-24 inches apart to allow for their large leaves.
Add Companions: Intersperse your chosen companion plants around and between the collards. For example, plant a row of onions along the border, or tuck herbs like thyme in the corners.
Consider Succession Planting: As you harvest early companions like spring peas, you can replant that space with a late-season friend like beets.

Intercropping for Maximum Space

Intercropping means growing fast-maturing plants between slower-growing ones. You can radishes or lettuce between your collard starts. You’ll harvest the quick crops long before the collards need the extra room.

Using Vertical Space

Don’t forget to grow up! Pole beans grown on a trellis behind collards provide shade in hot climates and add nitrogen without taking up much ground space.

Common Collard Pests and Companion Solutions

Collards can face a few specific pests. Here’s how companion plants can form your first line of defense.

Cabbage Loopers & Moths: Plant dill or borage to attract predatory wasps. Interplant with onions or garlic to disguise the collard’s scent.
Aphids: Nasturtiums are a classic trap crop. Chives and garlic repel them, while yarrow attracts ladybugs that eat aphids.
Flea Beetles: Use a living mulch of creeping thyme or interplant with catnip to deter these jumping pests.
Cabbage Root Maggots: Planting sage nearby can help deter the flies that lay the eggs. It’s also helpful to avoid planting where other brassicas were grown recently.

Companions for Soil Health and Flavor

Companion planting isn’t just about pests. It’s also about building better soil and even influencing taste.

Legumes like clover or bush beans add nitrogen, which collards crave for their leafy growth. Deep-rooted companions like daikon radish can help break up compacted soil, improving drainage for your collard’s roots. Some gardeners swear that planting chamomile or hyssop near collards improves there overall vigor and flavor, though this is more anecdotal.

A Seasonal Companion Planting Guide

Your companion planting strategy can change with the seasons to protect and support your collards year-round.

Spring: Focus on pest deterrents as insects become active. Plant onions, garlic, and dill at the same time you transplant collard starts. Sow quick lettuce between plants.
Summer: Add heat-tolerant companions like marigolds and nasturtiums. Use taller plants like sunflowers on the west side to provide afternoon shade in very hot climates.
Fall: Collards sweeten after a frost. Plant beets and turnips nearby for a joint fall harvest. You can also sow spinach as a living mulch.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Can I plant collards next to tomatoes?
It’s not recommended. Both are heavy feeders and will compete for nutrients, potentially leading to weaker plants.

What is a good companion plant for collards to repel bugs?
Onions, garlic, and herbs like mint and rosemary are excellent for repelling common collard pests through their strong scents.

Can kale and collards be planted together?
It’s better to separate them. As close relatives, they attract the exact same pests and diseases, creating a target-rich environment.

Do marigolds help collard greens?
Yes, marigolds are fantastic companions. Their roots release a substance that repels harmful nematodes in the soil, and their scent deters above-ground insects.

What should you not plant near collard greens?
Avoid other brassicas (like broccoli and cabbage), strawberries, and heavy-feeding plants like tomatoes and peppers.

By integrating these companion planting strategies, you can cultivate a more balanced garden ecosystem. Your collards will be better protected, your soil will be healthier, and you’ll likely enjoy a more abundant and beautiful harvest with less effort. Remember to observe your garden and take notes each year on what pairings work best in your unique space.