- Advantages of a mixed culture
- What goes in a mixed culture with onions?
- What should be considered in a mixed culture with onions?
In small gardens or even limited beds, it makes sense to create mixed cultures. Plants that fit together and are compatible are mixed in a row of plants. Carrots, for example, are suitable for a mixed culture with onions.
Onions, carrots and dill go great together
Advantages of a mixed culture
If you only have a limited area for growing vegetables, you should think about creating mixed crops. With this planting method, different types of vegetables are mixed in a row and the available space is optimally used. Since the different types of vegetables also have different nutrient requirements, they can all grow together. Weeds hardly stand a chance in such a mixed bed. Pests and diseases also find it difficult to spread.
Tip:
Do not grow vegetables from one plant family one after the other, as the following crop will no longer get enough nutrients. For example, no beetroot should be cultivated after the chard harvest, the beets would not grow optimally due to the lack of nutrients.
Creating a mixed culture table can be helpful when selecting pairs of plants for outdoor use.
What goes in a mixed culture with onions?
Good neighbors for growing onions are, for example
- cucumbers
- carrots
- parsnips
- zucchini
- Herbs like dill, savory and chamomile
- beetroot
If these types of vegetables or herbs are grown together with onions, the plants benefit from the diverse neighborhood. They stay healthier and thrive better. Diseases and pests hardly stand a chance.
Less good neighbors for onions are leeks, potatoes, beans and peas. As heavy and medium consumers, these vegetables need a lot of nutrients, leaving little for the onions.
What should be considered in a mixed culture with onions?
With a mixed culture, care must always be taken to ensure that the selected plants are able to take up a balanced amount of nutrients from the soil. Vegetables with high, medium and low nutrient requirements should be alternated, as well as deep-rooted and shallow-rooted ones. In this way, the plants in and above the ground do not get in each other's enclosures and can develop optimally. Onions, for example, are flat-rooted. They accept a deep root like the radish next to them as both plants get their nutrients from different soil layers.
However, care must always be taken to ensure that all types of vegetables get enough light and air. A sufficient planting distance between the individual plants is therefore immensely important.