Carrots and onions are used together in a variety of dishes, from soups to sauces, and it turns out they grow together well too as companion plants, as one gardener revealed.

The scoop

Matt's Garden (@mattgreenthumb) posted a TikTok explaining the benefits of planting carrots and onions together.

@mattgreenthumb

Let's talk about companion planting Carrots and onions work great together, the smell onions give off help to mask the smell of carrots from pests like carrot root fly. Not only do they deter pest they won't compete for space , and help to fill up and maximise your bed space. Carrot tops will also help as a cover crop for the soil as they begin to establish helping to reduce watering in the summer months .

♬ calm - Lofi u

"They won't fight for space because the carrots are going down as the onions are coming up," he said, adding that placing carrots in rows with onions fills gaps in your garden bed for maximum efficiency.

He also highlighted in the caption that the smell from the onions protects the carrots from pests including the carrot root fly and that the carrot tops create cover for the soil, helping it retain moisture and reduce the need for watering. 

How it's helping

Companion planting is one of the best ways to help your garden thrive. Pairing the right plants together can limit the impact of pests, and this includes planting flowers to distract those pests from eating your vegetables, reducing the need for pesticides and giving you cleaner produce by keeping chemicals out of the soil.

It also helps improve your yields, often by as much as 35%, according to Unsustainable Magazine. The more you grow at home, the more money you'll save at the grocery store. A $70 investment in gardening at home can yield $600 worth of produce in a year.

On a larger scale, you're saving trips to the grocery store and lowering your environmental impact by decreasing the demand for mass-produced, globally shipped, and store-bought produce.

A home garden is also good for your health, not just because of the fresh produce you'll eat but also the physical act of gardening. Gardening has been shown to reduce stress and anxiety, and if you participate in a community garden, you get the benefits of community and connection with your fellow planters. 

What everyone's saying

People in the comments loved the video, with one person writing: "Great video Matt! Companion planting is so worthwhile eh!"

Another said, "I'm going to try this too."

"I'm trying this this year," a third declared.

What is the biggest reason you don't grow food at home? Not enough time ⏳ Not enough space 🤏 It seems too hard 😬 I have a garden already 😎 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

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