Cabbage + Onion

Cabbage and onion are a practical combination with roots in Northern European kitchen garden tradition. The onion's sulfur compounds appear to interfere with cabbage moth (Mamestra brassicae) host-finding, reducing egg-laying on brassica leaves, though the effect is partial rather than absolute and works best as one layer of an integrated pest approach.

Both crops share compatible soil requirements: well-drained, fertile ground with consistent moisture and a pH in the 6.0 to 7.0 range. Plant onions at roughly 4-inch spacing between cabbage transplants set 18 inches apart. Timing aligns naturally in most zones since both can be started early and tolerate light frost.

The pairing is less useful where allium leaf miner or onion thrips pressure is high, as dense interplanting can concentrate those problems. In beds with a history of clubroot, rotating both crops out together is easier to manage than tracking them separately.