Companion Planting Hochbeet
A 6×3 Hochbeet built on classic Mischkultur pairs: carrot-onion, kohlrabi-lettuce, celery-leek, and beans with savory.
About This Template
Mischkultur — the German tradition of companion planting — is at its best in a Hochbeet, where every centimeter counts and neighbors are chosen to help each other. This layout is a catalog of the proven pairs. Carrots and onions alternate in the middle rows because each repels the other's signature pest — carrot fly and onion fly. Kohlrabi shares the back line with lettuce, which is harvested before the kohlrabi needs the space. Celery grows beside leeks, a pairing said to improve the flavor of both, and bush beans grow with summer savory — the Bohnenkraut pairing so traditional the herb is named after it. Radishes and spinach fill every remaining gap as fast-turnover crops.
Benefits
- 1Carrot-onion alternation suppresses both carrot fly and onion fly without spray
- 2Lettuce finishes just as the kohlrabi beside it demands the space
- 3Beans fix nitrogen that feeds the leaf crops sharing the bed
- 4Savory beside the beans deters black aphids — and seasons them at harvest
- 5Every pairing is a documented Mischkultur combination, not folklore
Growing Tips
- 1Sow carrots and onions the same week so the pairing establishes together
- 2Harvest lettuce heads whole as soon as kohlrabi leaves start to touch them
- 3Pick beans every other day to keep the plants setting new pods
- 4Note what grew where — rotate the families to fresh rows next season
Included Plants (13)
Kohlrabi×3
Brassica oleracea var. gongylodes
Spacing: 20 cm · 8 in
Little Gem Lettuce×3
Lactuca sativa
Spacing: 20 cm · 8 in
Celery
Apium graveolens
Spacing: 25 cm · 10 in
Leek×4
Allium ampeloprasum
Spacing: 15 cm · 6 in
Spinach×6
Spinacia oleracea
Spacing: 15 cm · 6 in
Carrot×12
Daucus carota subsp. sativus
Spacing: 8 cm · 3 in
Onion×8
Allium cepa
Spacing: 15 cm · 6 in
Radish×6
Raphanus sativus
Spacing: 5 cm · 2 in
Green Beans×6
Phaseolus vulgaris
Spacing: 10 cm · 4 in
Savory
Satureja hortensis
Spacing: 25 cm · 10 in
Dill
Anethum graveolens
Spacing: 25 cm · 10 in
Beet×6
Beta vulgaris
Spacing: 10 cm · 4 in
Marigold
Tagetes patula
Spacing: 25 cm · 10 in
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