Onions are not only used in the kitchen, but are also known for their healing properties. The culture is quite simple. Onions can be grown in mixed cultures.
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Onions love sun
Not much effort is required for a culture in your own garden. The onion (Allium cepas) does not make very high demands on care and soil. she needs
- a sunny, warm location
- Soil: loose, rich in humus, evenly moist, sandy and somewhat loamy
- Enrich with compost before planting
- water regularly
- no over-fertilization with nitrogen
- Sow late February to early May
- planting in April
The onion should only be planted in the same location every four to five years. Good subsequent plantings are
- cucumbers
- Kohlrabi
- Pastinaken
- Mangold
- radish
- Cabbage (green, rose, cauliflower and white cabbage)
- pumpkin
- sweetcorn
- Beetroot
Onions in mixed culture
The onion is particularly suitable for mixed cultivation. Different types of vegetables are planted in a row. This extension proves to be an advantage, especially when there is only little space available on the bed and this should be used optimally. In addition, such an extension has other advantages:
- displacement of weeds
- Pest and disease infestation is reduced
- good shading of the ground
- thereby reducing moisture evaporation in the soil
- Increase in yields and plant health
- Improving the quality of vegetables
- better growth
- balanced nutrient uptake from soil
- Creation of a balanced microclimate
Sufficient planting distance is important. The plants need enough air and light. It should also be noted that there is a change of location every year to prevent soil fatigue. In addition, the health of the plants would also suffer. No varieties of a plant family should be grown in subsequent crops. It would simply lead to a nutrient deficiency in the soil. It is therefore advisable to create a mixed culture table in order to make the right choice of plants.
Good neighbors
When selecting the types of vegetables for the mixed culture with onions, however, it is important to find a balanced combination of
- Heavy consumers (tomato, cucumber, zucchini, celery)
- Meals (carrot, onion, lettuce, beetroot, strawberry) and
- weak consumers (herbs, lamb
‘s lettuce). It is also important whether the plants are - Flat roots (onions, lettuce, cucumbers, kohlrabi) or
- Deep roots (carrots, tomatoes, beetroot, salsify)
acts. Vegetable plants grow well together when they don’t have to compete for nutrients from the soil. Such plants absorb various substances from the soil and also release substances, so-called active plant substances (phytoncides), into the soil. These have a positive effect on the health and growth of neighboring plants. Good neighbors for the onion are
- lettuce, lettuce
- Lamb’s lettuce (attracts earthworms)
- Mangold
- Beetroot
- Garlic (prevention of fungal diseases and spider mites)
- Strawberries (prevention of snail infestations and voles, prevention of gray mold)
- Tomatoes (control of pests such as lice)
- Parsley (prevents fungal attack)
- Dill
- savory
- chamomile
- cucumbers
- Carrots (control of carrot and onion fly)
- Pastinaken
- Zucchini
- radish
- Saddlery
- Rauke
- orienteering
- salsify
frequently asked Questions
Bad neighbors are beans, peas, potatoes, leeks, artichokes and all types of cabbage such as red, white, savoy cabbage, etc. They don’t get along with the onion at all and prevent it from growing. These are medium and heavy feeders. These vegetables require a lot of nutrients and would hardly leave any in the soil for the onion.
These plants cannot interfere with each other’s uptake of nutrients from the soil. Because they absorb these from the most diverse layers of the earth. The onion is a flat-rooted plant and therefore gets along well with deep-rooted plants such as radishes.
No, not necessarily. Of course, the onion can also be grown alone on the bed. A combination with other vegetable plants makes sense if little space is available, for example on a raised bed. Furthermore, in combination with other plants, everyone benefits from it. They are healthier and grow better. Of course, care such as loosening the soil, additional administration of nutrients and regular watering are also necessary here.
