Cabbage

Cabbage

Brassica oleracea var. capitata
Brassicaceae
Thyme

Thyme

Thymus vulgaris
Lamiaceae

Can you plant cabbage and thyme together?

Yes. Cabbage and thyme grow well together. Cabbage yielded more next to thyme in a field trial. That rests on a single study, so treat it as a lead, not a rule.

Why cabbage and thyme work together

What to plant with cabbage and thyme

Good neighbours of both, best tested first.

How each one was tested, with the evidence

What to keep away from cabbage and thyme

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

Tradition

Good

2 chart entries: 2 recommend, 0 advise against.

All entries cite a source.

Research

Good

1 paper found: 1 positive, 0 negative.

yield / land use

auto-classified not reviewed by a person

Yield trial

No intercropping yield trial.

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.

ABOVE GROUNDBELOW GROUNDsubsoilone bed, more foodCabbageBrassicaceaeThymeLamiaceaeABOVE GROUNDBELOW GROUNDsubsoilone bed, more foodCabbageBrassicaceaeThymeLamiaceae
Everything at once.

Companion plants for both cabbage and thyme

Plants that are good neighbours of each. Biggest harvest gain first; each cell links to the evidence for that pair.

PlantWith cabbageWith thyme
Eggplant54% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for cabbage and eggplantNo trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for thyme and eggplant
Tomato34% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 4 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for cabbage and tomatoesNo trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for thyme and tomatoes

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).

Recommended by garden charts for both, not tested yet

Rosemary

The evidence, with sources

ResearchGood1 entry
TraditionGood2 entries
  • GoodThyme helps Cabbage
    Cabbage: helped by thyme
    Companion Plants (Alabama Cooperative Extension System)
  • GoodThyme helps Cabbage
    Thyme: helps cabbage
    Companion Plants (Alabama Cooperative Extension System)
Plan a bed with cabbage and thyme

All neighbours of cabbage and of thyme, or every pair at once in the companion planting chart.

Have you grown cabbage and thyme 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.