Turnip Companion Plants

Growing turnips is a rewarding way to fill your garden and your plate. To get the best harvest, knowing about turnip companion plants is a great place to start. This simple method of planting certain crops together can help your turnips grow stronger, taste better, and face fewer pests. It’s a natural way to make your garden work harder for you.

Companion planting is like creating a good neighborhood for your vegetables. Some plants help each other by improving the soil, providing shade, or repelling harmful insects. Others can actually compete for resources or attract pests. By choosing the right neighbors for your turnips, you can create a healthier and more productive garden bed with less effort from you.

Let’s look at the best plants to grow alongside your turnips. These companions offer real benefits, from pest control to better growth.

Excellent Companions for Turnips

Peas and Beans: These legumes are fantastic because they add nitrogen to the soil. Turnips use this nitrogen to grow lush greens and develop strong roots. It’s a perfect partnership.
Strong-Scented Herbs: Dill, mint, and rosemary have powerful smells that confuse and deter pests like flea beetles and aphids. Just be careful with mint—it’s invasive, so it’s best grown in a pot near your turnips.
Alliums (Onions, Garlic, Chives): Their pungent aroma is a natural pest repellent. They can help keep away root maggots and other insects that bother turnip roots.
Lettuce and Spinach: These leafy greens have shallow roots and grow quickly. They make a good living mulch, helping to keep the soil cool and moist for turnips, which prefer cooler conditions.
Nasturtiums: This is a classic companion plant. Nasturtiums act as a “trap crop,” attracting aphids away from your turnips. They also add a beautiful splash of color to your garden.

Plants to Avoid Near Turnips

Just as important as knowing what to plant is knowing what to keep separate. Some plants are not good neighbors for turnips.

Other Brassicas: Avoid planting turnips near broccoli, cauliflower, kale, or cabbage. They are in the same family and compete for the same nutrients. They also share the same pests and diseases, making problems spread faster.
Potatoes: These heavy feeders compete directly with turnips for space and nutrients. They can also make the soil more acidic, which turnips don’t prefer.
Mustard Greens: Like other brassicas, they attract similar pests. Planting them together can create a hotspot for flea beetles.
Fennel: Fennel is known to be allelopathic to many plants, meaning it releases substances that can inhibit the growth of its neighbors. It’s best grown in a separate part of the garden.

Planning Your Turnip Garden Layout

Putting companion planting into practice is easy. A little planning makes a big difference.

Step-by-Step Bed Planning

Choose Your Spot: Turnips need full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil. Pick a spot that gets at least 4-6 hours of sunlight.
Prepare the Soil: Work in some compost. Turnips like loose, fertile soil so their roots can expand easily. Avoid fresh manure, as it can cause forked or hairy roots.
Draw a Simple Map: Sketch your garden bed. Place your turnip rows in the center or towards the back if it’s a against a fence.
Add Companions: Intersperse herbs like dill or chives between turnip plants. Plant a row of peas or beans on the north side so they don’t shade the turnips too much. Edge the bed with nasturtiums or lettuce.
Consider Succession Planting: Sow turnip seeds every 2-3 weeks for a continuous harvest. You can follow early spring peas with a planting of turnips in the same space.

Managing Common Turnip Pests Naturally

Companion plants are your first line of defense against pests. Here’s how they help with specific turnip problems.

Flea Beetles

These tiny jumping insects create small holes in turnip leaves. Strong-smelling herbs are very effective here. Planting catnip, mint, or thyme nearby can mask the scent of your turnips and repel the beetles. Floating row covers work well too, especially for young plants.

Aphids

Aphids are small, soft-bodied insects that cluster on new growth. Nasturtiums are excellent for luring them away. You can also attract beneficial insects like ladybugs and lacewings by planting dill, fennel, or yarrow nearby. These predators will eat the aphids on your turnips.

Cabbage Root Maggots

The larvae of this fly feed on turnip roots. Alliums are you best friend here. Planting onions or garlic very close to your turnip rows can help deter the adult flies from laying eggs. You can also use physical barriers, like cardboard collars placed around seedling stems at soil level.

Improving Soil Health for Better Turnips

Healthy soil grows healthy turnips. Companion plants contribute to this in several key ways.

Legumes, like peas and clover, have a special relationship with bacteria in the soil. These bacteria take nitrogen from the air and convert it into a form plants can use. When the legume plants decompose, that nitrogen becomes available for your turnips. It’s like free, natural fertilizer.

Low-growing plants, such as clover or even some weeds, act as a living mulch. They protect the soil from erosion, help retain moisture, and keep soil temperatures steady. This is ideal for turnips, which can become woody or bitter if they get to stressed from heat and drought.

Deep-rooted companions like daikon radish or marigolds can help break up compacted soil. This improves drainage and allows turnip roots to penetrate deeper and grow more uniformly. Marigolds also supress harmful nematodes in the soil, which is a bonus.

Seasonal Companion Planting Tips

Your companion planting strategy can change with the seasons to maximize your garden’s output.

Spring Planting

In early spring, plant turnips with peas and spinach. These cool-weather crops thrive together. The peas provide nitrogen, and the spinach offers ground cover. You can harvest the spinach and peas before the turnips need the full space.

Fall Planting

For a fall harvest, pair turnips with fast-growing lettuce or cilantro. These can be harvested before the first hard frost, leaving the turnips more room to mature in the cooler autumn weather. Garlic planted in the fall near your future turnip bed will be ready to protect them next spring.

Frequently Asked Questions

What grows well with turnips?

Peas, beans, dill, mint, onions, garlic, lettuce, and nasturtiums are all excellent companions. They help with nutrients, pest control, and soil conditions.

Can you plant turnips next to tomatoes?

It’s not ideal. Tomatoes are heavy feeders and may compete with turnips. They also have different watering needs. It’s better to keep them in separate beds if possible.

What should you not plant near turnips?

Avoid other brassicas like broccoli and kale, as well as potatoes, mustard greens, and fennel. These plants compete for resources or attract similar pests.

Do marigolds help turnips?

Yes, marigolds are very helpful. Their roots release a substance that deters harmful nematodes in the soil. They also attract pollinators and other beneficial insects to your garden.

How far apart should companion plants be?

For most companions, interplant them within the same bed, spacing them according to their needs. Herbs can be planted between turnip rows. Tall plants like peas should be placed where they won’t cast too much shade on the sun-loving turnips.

Using companion planting for your turnips is a simple, effective strategy. It works with nature to create a balanced garden ecosystem. By choosing the right neighbors, you’ll spend less time battling pests and problems. You’ll be rewarded with a healthier crop of crisp, flavorful turnips from your own backyard. Give these pairings a try in your next planting season and see the difference it makes.