Their strong scent and low growth habit make onions suitable companion plants for many vegetables, herbs, and flowers. Onions are so versatile in the garden that it can be challenging to decide where to locate them since they grow well with most other plants. Because onions are so good at repelling pests, the best place to grow your onion companion plants is near others most vulnerable to pests. Below are some top recommended onion companion plants, but if you have other plants prone to pests, you may also want to plant onions near those.
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Cruciferous Vegetables
Cruciferous vegetables, like broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, and kale, are perfect onion companion plants. Onions’ strong aroma naturally repels cabbage loopers and other pests that target cruciferous vegetables. Additionally, onions and cruciferous vegetables are heavy-feeding plants, so they both benefit from regular fertilizer applications.
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Strawberries
Similarly, strawberries are also prone to pest invasions. Onions help to repel many of the most common strawberry pests. Onions and strawberries are both low-growing plants, so they generally won’t compete for sunlight or other necessities.
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Beets
Onions repel many insects that feed on beets, including flea beetles and aphids. Deer and rabbits also avoid onions, which can help protect your beet greens from these voracious garden visitors. Because beets and onions are both root crops, they also have similar growing needs and prefer deep, loose soil.
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Onion companion plants appear to keep away the destructive carrot fly, a pest that can stunt the growth of carrots and even destroy entire plantings. Because both plants are root vegetables, they have similar growing needs and prefer regular watering and loose, deep soil. What’s more, carrots and onions are both cool season vegetables that can be planted early in the season before many other vegetable types.
Lettuce is a fast-growing vegetable; interplanting it with your onions is a smart way to get the most out of your garden. While waiting for your onion bulbs to fill out, you may get a garden harvest or two of lettuce. Even better, lettuce has very short roots so that it won’t compete with onion bulbs for soil space.
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Peppers
Peppers and onions don’t just pair well in the kitchen; pepper and onion companion plants are also perfect partners in the garden. Onions’ strong aroma repels many garden pests and can keep deer and rabbits from browsing on your bell peppers. Pepper plants are also taller than onions, leaving plenty of room for onions to grow underneath.
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Tomatoes
If you want to make homemade salsa, you definitely need to leave some room in your garden for growing tomatoes with onion companion plants. When planted together, onions will help to keep your tomatoes pest-free, and tomatoes’ larger leaves can shield the soil around your onions and prevent them from drying out as quickly. Additionally, both plants need plenty of nutrients, and they have similar growing needs.
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Chamomile
Chamomile is a delicate herb with small, daisy-like flowers frequently used for herbal teas. When planted with onions, chamomile is thought to improve the flavor and growth of your onion bulbs. Chamomile is also very easy to grow from seed and is small-space friendly.
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Leeks
Sowing plants in the same family is generally not recommended as they can be susceptible to the same pests and diseases. However, because leeks and onions are naturally repellant to most pests, these two plants can usually be sown together without any issues. They also have the same growing needs, and planting them in the same bed can simplify your gardening tasks.
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Summer Savory
Summer savory is a less commonly used annual herb that tastes a bit like marjoram and thyme. When grown with onion companion plants, it will repel most pests affecting your onions. Growing summer savory near onions is also thought to improve the growth of your onion bulbs and may sweeten their flavor.
Onions make great companion plants for many fruits, vegetables, herbs, and flowers, including beets, spinach, alliums, brassicas, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant, strawberries, potatoes, lettuce, parsnips, carrots, chamomile, parsley, dill, savory, marigolds, and roses.
You can plant onions and peppers together. As onions do not take up a lot of room above the ground, they are good to plan as neighbors if you're growing peppers. Also, onions have a strong smell with helps to deter a lot of pests such as aphids and slugs, making them great for pepper companion planting.
Onions. Like garlic, onions are also known as natural pest repellents due to their strong odor. They are great companion plants for tomatoes. But, if you're struggling with thrips in your garden, avoid planting onions, leeks, or garlic near your tomatoes.
It is recommended to not plant garlic too close to other alliums, including onions and leeks, as it can encourage onion maggots into the area. There are plenty of other suitable onion companion planting options, however, if you are growing these crops.
While there are many plants you want to grow near onions, there are a few that should definitely be avoided. Onions should not be planted with peas, beans, asparagus, or sage. Onions can stunt the growth of these crops and also negatively affect their flavor.
The main valuable component for onions is nitrogen. If you fertilize green plants, such as lettuce and spinach, with a coffee substrate, the yield will be higher due to the nitrogen content of coffee. Adding coffee grounds to soil only benefits onion and green cultures.
Basil and nasturtium prevent aphids and whiteflies, onions and garlic help against fungal diseases such as gray mold. You should not plant aubergines, peas, fennel, beet, potatoes and celery next to peppers and chili peppers.
The allium family, known for its distinctive smell, can also be used for companion planting with cucumbers as their scent repels pests. Onions can be grown nearby, and low-growing chives are great for planting beneath cucumbers. Plus, both chives and onions make great additions to summery cucumber salads.
Growing onions next to pepper plants also doesn't affect their growth or siphon away important nutrients that they need. Like basil, onions allegedly improve the peppers' flavor and production.
Onions, leeks and spring onions also fit well in the zucchini bed. As bed neighbors, they keep some pests such as aphids, carrot flies and cabbage white butterfly caterpillars away from your bed with their strong smell. A tea or decoction made from onions can also be used to strengthen plants and prevent mildew.
Brassicas: Plants like broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower can compete with cucumbers for the same nutrients in the soil. They also attract pests that can damage cucumber plants, such as flea beetles and cabbage worms.
Other good neighbor options for onions include: tomatoes, lettuces, strawberries (strange but true! And no, it will not make your strawberries taste like onions or vice versa!), peppers, parsnip and spinach.
Though few, there are some plants that actually suffer when planted near garlic. Be sure to keep asparagus, peas, beans, sage, and parsley far away from it, as their growth can be stunted.
The fact of the matter is that YES the plants are related and YES they share some common diseases but most people do not have the space in their garden to separate them. The reality is that because the two have similar growth requirements, they can in fact be grown quite successfully together.
Growing onions requires abundant sun and good drainage, and they grow best when the soil pH ranges between 6.0 and 6.8. Raised beds or raised rows made by mounding up soil are ideal, especially if your soil is heavy clay.
CARROTS, PARSNIPS, RADISHES and ONIONS are good choices for cucumber companion planting as they do not encroach on each other's territory. The root vegetables primarily grow beneath the soil, whereas cucumbers send down one larger tap root and also a few shallow roots that don't extend far.
Introduction: My name is Terrell Hackett, I am a gleaming, brainy, courageous, helpful, healthy, cooperative, graceful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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