If you are practicing companion planting, you should know some of the best companion plants for onions in the garden. When you want to maximize the use of your land, it’s only logical to plant other types of plants together with your onions. However, you can’t just plant anything that you want. If you want to enjoy the best fruits together with your onions, you should know that some plants are considered the best while the others….not so much.
The Concept of Companion Planting
Basically, companion planting is about making use of the land in the most effective manner. With a wide space, you can plant different kinds of crops together. In some cases, companion planting is beneficial for the involved plants because they can benefit from one another. For instance, one plant can be free from pests while the other hand can enjoy the rich soil nutrients. So, what can I plant with onions and garlic?
The Best Traits of Onions
Onions can boost other plants’ flavor while at the same time repelling pests, such as rabbits, Japanese beetles, and aphids. So, what would be considered the best companion plants for onions in the garden?
Cabbage. As it was stated before, onions are great to prevent pests from attacking the plants, so you won’t have to worry about cabbage maggots, cabbage loopers, or worms. Cabbage is a part of Brassica's family, which means that you can also plant other similar members of the family, such as turnips, brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, or kale.
Carrots. Onions are great to make carrot fly go away. Don’t you love it when you can have fresh and crunchy healthy carrots from your own garden.
Chamomile. The flower has its own natural antifungal and antibacterial traits. Plus, it can also boost the taste of the onions in the sweetest way.
Summer savory. This plant can help your onions by encouraging its growth, while at the same time making the onions taste somewhat sweeter (but only slightly).
Marigold. This flower has this distinctive smell that can attract good insects. They are quite handy for pollination. Not to mention that marigolds are also great to repel pesky pests.
Tomatoes. If you want your tomatoes to grow healthy, you should plant them close to your onions. The pungent smell will repel pests away, so your tomatoes would be free to harm.
The Worst Companion
There are some plants and flowers that are best grown quite apart from onions, if you want to gain the best results. It’s a bad idea to mix garlic and chives with onions because they will be competing against each other; not only for space, but also for nutrients. Not to mention that they are all sensitive to the same diseases and pests, which make them highly vulnerable. You shouldn’t grow onions in close proximity with asparagus, bush beans, pole beans, or peas either. None of them will grow well and healthy, and you will end up with bad yields.
Bottom Line
Make sure to perform your research thoroughly before you grow your onions with other plants. Understanding the facts about the companion plants for onions in the garden can help you achieve a fruitful garden and satisfying yield that you have always wanted.