Beans with onions?

[Jude]

Have just been skimming through Bob Flowerdew's excellent 'Complete book of companion gardening' which I got out of the library today. He says that 'onions and beans mutually detest each other.'
I've only gone and put my shallots in next to a row of broad beans! Anyone out there had any experience/problem with this combination?

[Chez]

Hello Jude

I have not heard of the incompatiblity of these two crops before. Lucky, as last year we planted a double row of onions right next to a two double rows of broad beans. We had a great yield of both crops. No difference between the onions next to the broad beans and others we planted further away. I can't imagine shallots would be much different, so I don't think I would worry too much.

[paul.r]

most if not all info on companion planting states that onions dont get on with beans or peas, but i'm in no position to argue with Chez and the proof is in the pudding...rgds Paul p.s. something to do with antibacterial chemicals from the onion roots interfering with the chemicals that help the legume roots fix nitrogen but hey?

[Chez]

I should add that now knowing this info and the subsquent confirmation of this thinking by Paul, we will not put our beans and onions next to each other this year. But as you have already done so, and given we got away with it last year (in ignorance), it is on this basis I would not be too concerned for this year.

[Carole B.]

I put my overwinter onions next to my broadbeans for years and sometimes my summer onions next to runners or dwarf frenchies and then I read that bit in Bob's book and concluded that nobody had told the two sets of plants that they shouldn't grow well together 'cos they allways seemed to do rather well!
Carole.

[Jude]

Thanks everyone, don't think I'm going to lose sleep over it after all!

[Veggie Girl]

I planted summer onions next to broad beans last year, & they got a sort of rust type thing on the leaves &some of the pods went rotten! I have no idea if this was to do with the onions or the fact that the seeds were from the year before. The onions were fine.