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The Top 11 Onion Companion Plants for Your Garden!

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With companion planting becoming the trend of the hour, gardeners are trying to discover companion plants for almost all vegetables. This act of growing some plants together to maximize their benefits or nutritional content is known as companion gardening.

When it comes to onions, you should remember that onions are a natural pest deterrent. Thus, it’s natural that crops grown with onions will have aphids and other such pests and bugs at bay.

Choosing the perfect companion plant might be a daunting task. However, you need not bother much with onion because onions will enhance and spice up the taste of every crop grown near it. But before moving on to the list of companion plants for onion, let’s first discuss its benefits.

Onion Companion Plants
via Pixabay

Onion Companion Plants

1. Chamomile

Chamomile Onion Companion Plants
via Pixabay

Being the oldest favorite herb amongst all garden herbs, chamomile is known for its antifungal and antibacterial properties . Its companionship with onions will enhance the taste and flavor of onions.

Besides its pest repelling properties, chamomile has a sweet, pleasing fragrance that will act as an essential tool for attracting pollinators. Thus, the companionship of chamomile and onion will prevent pests and insects, thereby bringing back pollinators.

2. Mint

Mint Onion Companion Plants

Deriving its name from Minthe, the Greek mythological figure, mint, represents hospitality. Moreover, the varieties of mint plants range to 600, with the most common being peppermint and spearmint.

Mint, in companionship with onions, will increase the antibacterial properties, thereby protecting the plants. Moreover, mint leaves have a sweet aroma which can distract the onion fly. However, make sure to plant it around your onion plants in a dot-shaped format rather than on the ground.

3. Roses

Rose Onion Companion Plants

Being the oldest of all flowers and the US National Flower, you can easily find roses in about 150 varieties. Moreover, each of them imparts its significance.

Planting onions as a companion with roses or vice versa will keep pests away. Aphids and other such insects will no longer attack your lovely plant. That’s because the pests will get trapped, tricked, and confused by the characteristic smell of the individual plants, thereby ensuring the safety of your fresh previous blooms.

4. Summer Savory

Summer Savory Onion Companion Plants

Loaded with the benefits of essential oils, summer savory also exhibits antiseptic, antibacterial, and expectorant properties. Due to its fantastic health benefits, it finds its applications as a culinary herb and other herb blends.

Planting onions and summer savories together will enhance their flavor, thereby imparting and increasing the sweetness in flavors. Both of them will act like natural partners because of the similarities in their requirements of well-drained soil and abundant sunlight.

5. Marigold

Marigold Onion Companion Plants

With 56 species and varieties of flowers, marigolds are primarily annual. Ranging from golden to white, they come in an array of colors and looks. Moreover, they are commonly found everywhere and prevalent in every place.

Due to their strong scent, marigolds act as a natural deterrent and repel aphids and other pests. While this strong scent repels pests and insects, it drives back other pollinators, thereby influencing pollination. Thus, marigolds and onions will turn out to be the perfect companion plants.

6. Tomatoes

Tomatoes Onion Companion Plants
Swell Tomatoes via Flickr.com

Loaded with antioxidants, tomatoes serve as the official state beverage in Ohio. Not just this, they are also the official state vegetable in New Jersey. The varieties of tomatoes range to 10,000.

If you are a beginner in gardening and companion planting, the companionship tomatoes and onions, being the easiest, will help you understand the basics.

Moreover, onions can deter and repel Japanese beetles and aphids, which will protect the tomatoes. Thus, their companionship will turn out to be protective and beneficial.

7. Beets

Beets Onion Companion Plants

Since ancient times, beets have been known for their medicinal properties. Our ancestors and forbears used beets more for curing painful conditions than as food items. Moreover, they are the storehouse of anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties.

Besides these, beets are rich in fibers and nitrates, beneficial for the mind, heart, and body. The companionship between onions and beets will be significant because onions will protect beets from beet flea beetles, rabbits, and aphids. On the other hand, beets will protect onions from thrip. However, be careful to know the proper planting and gardening guidelines.

8. Cabbage

Cabbage Onion Companion Plants

While cabbages can be challenging to grow due to their temperature requirements, the varieties of cabbage change with color and properties. Today, we have about 400+ varieties of cabbage.

Not just this, the historical overview of cabbage is also interesting. From the ancient roots of China to the magical spell for bald persons, cabbage has acted as a beauty promoter, headache relief, cancer deterrent, and natural tie-dye since ancient times.

You can easily combine cabbage and onions. Not just cabbages, you can also try out some other cabbage family members, such as broccoli, turnip, cauliflower, etc.

Both onions and cabbages prefer the same soil and sunlight requirements. Moreover, cabbages can repel cabbage maggots, cabbage worms, and weevils. On the other hand, onions repel other insects, pests, and rabbits. Thus, their companionship works well.

9. Lettuce

Lettuce Onion Companion Plants

Ranking second in the list of popular fresh vegetables of the US, lettuce contains about 95% water content. The dark green color of lettuces imparts more nutritional benefits than the light green ones.

In addition to that, lettuce tops the list of popular salad plants in the world. It is rich in vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, vitamin B6, and other minerals and nutrients.

Moreover, the health benefits of these green vegetables are numerous. From lowering cholesterol levels to preventing anemia and cancer, lettuce is exceptionally healthy and can treat and save us from many diseases.

The companionship of onions and lettuce sounds perfect because both of them consume less space. Focusing on space management will help you increase the benefits. As they consume less space, the fight and competition for nutrients will be less.

Moreover, as onions grow upright, they take away underground space for their growth and development. On the other hand, lettuce grows as shallow-rooted plants. Thus, their companionship will be beneficial in reducing the chances of weed attacks.

10. Carrots

Carrot Onion Companion Plants

From orange to white and deep purple, carrots come in a variety of colors. Moreover, besides domestic and wild carrots, there are many more varieties of carrots with impressive names.

Another interesting fact about carrots is that they have seeds too. Moreover, carrots are rich in beta-carotene, vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin B6, potassium, and fiber. Furthermore, carrots also contain small amounts of sugar.

For beginners, learning to grow carrots is the best exercise to gain skills. However, their companionship isn’t very difficult. As onions deter rabbits, aphids, and other pests, carrots also deter onion flies. Hence, this companionship is a mutual benefit for both of them.

11. Leeks

Leeks Onion Companion Plants

Belonging to the Allium family, leeks have an appearance similar to that of onions. Its name comes from the word “Leac.”

Leeks are rich sources of vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin A, vitamin B6, vitamin E, iron, calcium, copper, folate, carotenoids, fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and magnesium.

Moreover, leeks also serve as the national emblem in Wales, worn with the “Peter’s Leek.” This firm, crunchy vegetable takes about six months to bear harvests.

Other onion family members may not go well with onions as their companion plants due to some reasons. However, leeks and onions can serve as great companionship pairs because their nutritional demands are similar. In addition to that, leeks can also confuse and deter onion flies. Thus, this companionship pair will turn out to be beneficial for both of them.


Benefits Of Using Onion Companion Plant

Benefits Of Online Companion Plants

The companion planting process has a different name as intercropping—a lot of factors that can affect the harvesting quality and growth of onion companion plants. Apart from the kind procedure of achieving a set of onion companion plants, we need to understand the major benefits of having such plants. It may consist of certain factors:

Nutritional value of soil: To keep the growth process effective, soil nutrition needs to be checked regularly. A bad soil nutrition quality can increase the pressure of a gardener. In such cases, if the plant consumes the required nutrition, the companion plants restore the soil nutrition and maintain the flow of nourishment.

Ground Covering: soil cover is a crucial factor during the growth of plants. Some factors like sunlight can seriously affect them. The ground cover increment strategies become crucial; If you can use layering crops or any suitable alternative, it will optimize the amount of temperature and sunlight. 

Resist Insect Pests: Applying insecticides is sometimes not enough to provide immunity to the plants. Your plants may face the attack of hazardous toxins, which you cannot prevent by using any insecticides. In such cases, the natural killing capacity can provide a safeguard to the plants. 

Promote natural process: Companion plants are also an effective mode to execute some natural strategies. You can pick any specific plant to call pollinators for your plants. Bees, butterflies can be attracted to completing many biological processes. It will intensify the growth and harvesting.

Protective Plants: Plants, too, need external protection like excess sunlight, rain, airflow, and many other factors. Considering this thing, you can plant specific species, which can protect from over sunlight to prevent heavy transpiration—plants with the improved structure to provide airflow and soil grip strength to the plants.

The original plant can be benefited from these companion plants in a lot of other factors too.  Considering the specific use, you can add features to your plant to improve the growth and harvesting of plant species.

Onions are great companions and neighbors. As they protect the neighboring plant from fungal infections and pests, the plants, herbs, and flowers growing around it will mutually benefit from each other.

However, while choosing the companion plant, make sure not to involve plants that demand many nutritional benefits. Moreover, with the right companion plant, you can also give rise to a well-balanced ecosystem.

Thus, having companion plants and onions means protecting your plants from pests and insects without compromising the beneficial insect diversity in the surrounding area. Now, let’s move on to discuss the list of plants that go well with onions as their companion plants.

Plants Which You Shouldn’t Use As A Companion For Onion

While there are a lot of plants that will ideally get along with onions as their companion plants, there are some plants which you shouldn’t plant along with onions.

Some plants aren’t compatible with onions because of their excessive demand for nutrients, minerals, light, and water, resulting in nutrient deficiency and stunted growth.

Firstly, you should never plant onion plants with other varieties of their species, such as shallots and garlic. These varieties fall prey to onion maggots. Growing these varieties together will lead to the transfer of onion maggots from one plant to another, destroying and ruining the plants.

Shallots Cuisse de Poulet
Shallots Cuisse de Poulet via Flickr.com

In addition to shallots and garlic, chives also are related to onions in some ways. Thus, they can also transfer maggots and other pests. Hence, it’s wisest to avoid them too.

Unlike basil, beans and peas can never act as companion plants for onions. That’s because beans, being allelopathic, produce biochemicals that act as growth inhibitors for other plants. Peas also release such biochemicals. Thus, you should avoid using beans and peas as companion plants and onions or related species such as chives, leeks, garlic, etc.

Moreover, you can’t also choose sage as a companion plant for onions. It’s because onions require moist soil and large amounts of moisture. On the other hand, sages prefer mostly dry soil with less moisture content. Thus, they cannot survive together.

Similarly, it would be best if you didn’t try to combine asparagus and onions. Combining plants with different requirements will lead to stunted growth in both plants. That’s because none of them would be able to survive in the appropriate conditions required for the development of the other one.


Final Takeaway

While choosing companion plants, make sure that the plant doesn’t come to compete with the existing plant. Competition in nutrients and other growth essentials will prove detrimental for both the plants.

Besides the plants listed above, you can also choose strawberries as companion plants for onions. These companion plants will assist in enhancing and improving their growth rate. Sometimes, they also come along with health benefits. Thus, you can try companion planting with your onion plants.