Tradition
No chart mentions this pair.
Fava bean
Vicia faba
Fabaceae
Onion
Allium cepa
AmaryllidaceaeCan you plant fava beans and onions together?
It depends. The sources disagree about fava beans and onions. Results on harvest were mixed in a field trial.
Why it depends
Mixed results on harvest. In a field trial, results on harvest were mixed.
Evaluation of vegetable–faba bean (Vicia faba L.) intercropping under Latvian agro‐ecological conditions (Lepse L · 2017 · Journal of the science of food and agriculture.)
What to plant with fava beans and onions
Good neighbours of both, best tested first.
What to keep away from fava beans and onions
The evidence in detail
For readers who want to dig in: every chart entry, study and yield trial behind the answer above, with the numbers.
Tradition, research and yield trials
Research
Mixed
avoidgood
1 paper found: 0 positive, 0 negative, 1 mixed.
yield / land use
auto-classified not reviewed by a person
Yield trial
No intercropping yield trial.
It's complicated
What happens above and below ground
Each animation illustrates a mechanism a study reported for this pair. Pick a card to focus on it.
Everything at once.
Companion plants for both fava beans and onions
Plants that are good neighbours of each. Biggest harvest gain first; each cell links to the evidence for that pair.
| Plant | With fava beans | With onions |
|---|---|---|
 Cabbage | 117% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 5 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for fava beans and cabbage | Fewer pests and draws in pest-eating insects8% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 8 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for onions and cabbage |
 Lettuce | 28% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for fava beans and lettuce | No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for onions and lettuce |
 Broccoli | Lures pests awayField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for fava beans and broccoli | No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for onions and broccoli |
Harvest from the same space compares a bed with both crops against the same area split into single-crop beds, counting the harvest of both crops (the land equivalent ratio in yield trials).
The evidence, with sources
- Mixedyield / land usefield trialauto-classifiedEvaluation of vegetable–faba bean (Vicia faba L.) intercropping under Latvian agro‐ecological conditionsEvaluation of vegetable–faba bean (Vicia faba L.) intercropping under Latvian agro‐ecological conditions (Lepse L · 2017 · Journal of the science of food and agriculture.)Relevance 96% · effect confidence 50%
All neighbours of fava bean and of onion, or every pair at once in the companion planting chart.
Have you grown fava beans and onions together?
Tell other gardeners what happened: spacing, pests, harvest, or ask a question. Reader notes are not checked by us and do not change the verdicts on this page.