Tradition
Good
avoidgood
2 chart entries: 2 recommend, 0 advise against.
All entries cite a source.
Cabbage
Brassica oleracea var. capitata
Brassicaceae
Cilantro
Coriandrum sativum
ApiaceaeCan you plant cabbage and cilantro together?
Yes. Cabbage and cilantro grow well together. A shared bed gave about 70% more harvest than separate beds in 5 field trials, and cilantro drew in insects that eat the pests of cabbage in a field trial.
Why cabbage and cilantro work together
More harvest from the same bed. In 5 field trials, a bed with both crops gave about 70% more harvest than the same space split into a cabbage bed and a cilantro bed.
Draws in pest-eating insects. In a field trial, cilantro drew in insects that eat the pests of cabbage.
Management of Flea Beetles Using Ecological Engineering in Vegetable Agroecosystem of Kashmir (Maqsood S · 2024 · Research Square)Garden charts recommend it. 2 garden chart entries recommend growing them together. Charts pass on gardening tradition; they are not tests.
Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) "companion plants" can attract hoverflies, and may reduce pest infestation in cabbages (Morris · 2000 · New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science)No clear effect on pest-eating insects. In a field trial, growing them together made no clear difference to pest-eating insects.
Can cruciferous agroecosystems grown under variable conditions influence biological control of Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)? (Silva-Torres CSA · 2011 · Biocontrol science and technology.)
What to plant with cabbage and cilantro
Good neighbours of both, best tested first.
BeetWith cabbage: 14% more harvestWith cilantro: 119% more harvest
EggplantWith cabbage: 54% more harvestWith cilantro: 67% more harvest
DillWith cabbage: 55% more harvestWith cilantro: Draws in pest-eating insects
SpinachWith cabbage: 46% more harvestWith cilantro: Recommended by garden charts, not tested
TomatoWith cabbage: 34% more harvestWith cilantro: Less disease
What to keep away from cabbage and cilantro
Nothing in our data is a bad neighbour of cabbage or cilantro.
The evidence in detail
For readers who want to dig in: every chart entry, study and yield trial behind the answer above, with the numbers.
Tradition, research and yield trials
Research
Good
avoidgood
2 papers found: 1 positive, 0 negative, 1 no effect.
natural enemies x2
auto-classified not reviewed by a person
Yield trial
Good
0.86
0.64
Cabbage gains more. Partial LER is each crop's share of the yield it would give alone.
5 field trials. Published LERs lean high.
Good neighbours
What happens above and below ground
Each animation illustrates a mechanism a study reported for this pair. Pick a card to focus on it.
Everything at once.
Companion plants for both cabbage and cilantro
Plants that are good neighbours of each. Biggest harvest gain first; each cell links to the evidence for that pair.
| Plant | With cabbage | With cilantro |
|---|---|---|
| Beet | 14% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 5 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for cabbage and beets | 119% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for cilantro and beets |
| Eggplant | 54% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for cabbage and eggplant | Fewer pests67% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for cilantro and eggplant |
| Dill | Draws in pest-eating insects and lures pests away55% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 3 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for cabbage and dill | Draws in pest-eating insectsSame family (Apiaceae): shares pests and diseasesField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for cilantro and dill |
| Spinach | 46% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 3 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for cabbage and spinach | No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for cilantro and spinach |
| Tomato | 34% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 4 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for cabbage and tomatoes | Less disease and fewer pestsField trial, 3 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for cilantro and tomatoes |
 Pea | 11% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 3 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for cabbage and peas | No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for cilantro and peas |
Harvest from the same space compares a bed with both crops against the same area split into single-crop beds, counting the harvest of both crops (the land equivalent ratio in yield trials).
The evidence, with sources
- No effectnatural enemiesfield trialauto-classifiedCan cruciferous agroecosystems grown under variable conditions influence biological control of Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)?Can cruciferous agroecosystems grown under variable conditions influence biological control of Plutella xylostella (Lepidoptera: Plutellidae)? (Silva-Torres CSA · 2011 · Biocontrol science and technology.)Relevance 89% · effect confidence 84%
- Goodnatural enemiesfield trialauto-classifiedCilantro helps CabbageManagement of Flea Beetles Using Ecological Engineering in Vegetable Agroecosystem of KashmirManagement of Flea Beetles Using Ecological Engineering in Vegetable Agroecosystem of Kashmir (Maqsood S · 2024 · Research Square)Relevance 84% · effect confidence 80%
- GoodLER 1.70field trialIndia, 1999; Additive design; median LER 1.70 over 1 treatment(s) · partial LER Cabbage 0.9, Cilantro 0.8
- GoodLER 1.92field trialBrazil, 2007; Additive design; median LER 1.92 over 1 treatment(s) · partial LER Cabbage 0.85
- GoodLER 1.35field trialIndia, 1995-1999; NA design; median LER 1.35 over 1 treatment(s) · partial LER Cabbage 0.86, Cilantro 0.49
Show 2 more
- GoodLER 1.17field trialIndia, 2013-2015; NA design; median LER 1.17 over 1 treatment(s) · partial LER Cabbage 0.86, Cilantro 0.31
- GoodLER 1.78field trialBrazil, 2015; Additive design; median LER 1.78 over 1 treatment(s) · partial LER Cabbage 0.81, Cilantro 0.97Agronomic performance and biological efficiency of kale intercropped with spice species (Alves De Araujo Hendges · 2019)
- GoodCilantro helps CabbageCabbage: helped by corianderCoriander (Coriandrum sativum) "companion plants" can attract hoverflies, and may reduce pest infestation in cabbages (Morris · 2000 · New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science)
- GoodCilantro helps CabbageCilantro / Coriander: helps Anise cabbageCoriander (Coriandrum sativum) "companion plants" can attract hoverflies, and may reduce pest infestation in cabbages (Morris · 2000 · New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science)
All neighbours of cabbage and of cilantro, or every pair at once in the companion planting chart.
Have you grown cabbage and cilantro together?
Tell other gardeners what happened: spacing, pests, harvest, or ask a question. Reader notes are not checked by us and do not change the verdicts on this page.