Tradition
No chart mentions this pair.
Cabbage
Brassica oleracea var. capitata
Brassicaceae
Turnip
Brassica rapa subsp. rapa
BrassicaceaeCan you plant cabbage and turnips together?
It depends. The sources disagree about cabbage and turnips. Turnips lured pests away from cabbage in a field trial, but both are in the Brassicaceae family, so they share pests and diseases.
Why it depends
Mixed results on pests. In a field trial, results on pests were mixed.
Trait-based cropping of brassicaceous plants: Effects on ecosystem services and crop yield (Ruhanen HM · 2023 · Biological control : theory and applications in pest management)Lures pests away. In a field trial, turnips lured pests away from cabbage.
Management of Yellowmargined Leaf Beetle Microtheca ochroloma (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Using Turnip as a Trap Crop. (Balusu R · 2015 · Journal of economic entomology)Same family, shared pests. Cabbage and turnips are both in the Brassicaceae family, so the same pests and diseases can move from one to the other.
Crop Rotation in the Vegetable Garden (Steil · 2025 · Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Yard and Garden)
What to plant with cabbage and turnips
Good neighbours of both, best tested first.
What to keep away from cabbage and turnips
Nothing in our data is a bad neighbour of cabbage or turnips.
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
Same family, shared pests and diseases. Both in Brassicaceae: often susceptible to the same diseases and insects. Source: Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Yard and Garden
Research
Mixed
avoidgood
2 papers found: 1 positive, 0 negative, 1 mixed.
trap crop x2
auto-classified not reviewed by a person
Yield trial
No intercropping yield trial.
It's complicated
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 turnips
Plants that are good neighbours of each. Biggest harvest gain first; each cell links to the evidence for that pair.
| Plant | With cabbage | With turnips |
|---|---|---|
 Basil | 12% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for cabbage and basil | Bigger combined harvestField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for turnips and basil |
 Pea | 11% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 3 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for cabbage and peas | Better soil and nutrient uptakeField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for turnips and peas |
 Broccoli | Lures pests awaySame family (Brassicaceae): shares pests and diseasesField trial, 3 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for cabbage and broccoli | No effect on pestsSame family (Brassicaceae): shares pests and diseasesField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for turnips and broccoli |
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
- Mixedtrap cropfield trialauto-classifiedTrait-based cropping of brassicaceous plants: Effects on ecosystem services and crop yieldTrait-based cropping of brassicaceous plants: Effects on ecosystem services and crop yield (Ruhanen HM · 2023 · Biological control : theory and applications in pest management)Relevance 86% · effect confidence 42%
- Goodtrap cropfield trialauto-classifiedTurnip helps CabbageManagement of Yellowmargined Leaf Beetle Microtheca ochroloma (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Using Turnip as a Trap Crop.Management of Yellowmargined Leaf Beetle Microtheca ochroloma (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) Using Turnip as a Trap Crop. (Balusu R · 2015 · Journal of economic entomology)Relevance 86% · effect confidence 65%
- Both in Brassicaceae: often susceptible to the same diseases and insectsCrop Rotation in the Vegetable Garden (Steil · 2025 · Iowa State University Extension and Outreach, Yard and Garden)
All neighbours of cabbage and of turnip, or every pair at once in the companion planting chart.
Have you grown cabbage and turnips 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.