Compatible Plants With Onions & Garlic

Plants, like people, can be good neighbors or problem neighbors. Certain types of plants seem to get along better than others. Plants that are good neighbors may improve the companion plants’ health or flavor. Good plant neighbors may also repel insect and animal pests, or attract beneficial insects. Plants that are bad neighbors may be chemical antagonists that interfere with a companion’s growth or fruiting. Onions and garlic are considered very good neighbors for certain families of garden vegetables.

Cabbage Family

Onions and garlic are particularly beneficial as a pest repellent for cabbage, broccoli, collards, kale, kohlrabi, Brussels sprouts and other members of the cabbage family. Onions and garlic repel cabbage loopers, cabbage maggots, cabbage worms, Japanese beetles and aphids. Onions and garlic also repel rabbits that otherwise might ravage the cabbage patch.

Tomatoes And Herbs

Onions and garlic are compatible with most varieties of tomato. Garlic in particular repels the red spider mites that normally favor tomato plants. Onions, garlic and other onion-family plants also do well with celery and carrots because they repel insect pests that favor these vegetables. Among common herbs, onions and garlic go together with chamomile, dill, savory and parsley. Other companions to plant near onions and garlic include beets, sweet peppers, spinach, lettuce and parsnips. Onions and garlic also repel insect pests of strawberries and peaches.

Planting Practices

When you plant onions and garlic around vegetable companions, scatter the onion and garlic plants to minimize infestation by onion/garlic pests such as onion maggots. For good results, interplant the onions and garlic between companion plants. Experiment with different combinations and arrangements of companion plantings as borders and backdrops as well as interplanting. But you should keep certain plants well separated from onions and garlic. They are antagonistic to some garden plants because of chemical or flavor interactions. Avoid planting onions and garlic near beans, peas, sage and asparagus.

Why It Works

Companion planting hasn’t been scientifically verified, but organic gardeners swear it works. They reason that nature integrates multiple plants, insects, animals and other organisms into balanced ecosystems that can sustain themselves over the long term. Organic gardeners seek to mimic nature through use of companion planting to create a beautiful, balanced garden ecosystem that encourages lush growth and rich flavor of the produce. Organic growers apply companion planting as a natural weapon to combat pests and diseases while encouraging beneficial insects and organisms to colonize the garden plot. A balanced ecosystem doesn’t eliminate pests, but keeps them at manageable levels.

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