<p>Intercropping with barley enhances natural enemy populations, leading to effective pest suppression in cabbage and onion cropping. However, excessive barley growth can reduce crop yield under certain field and weather conditions. Here, we compared the effects of intercropping with barley and clover, a lower-growing alternative to barley, on pest suppression and yield. In spring cabbage, clover intercropping suppressed multiple insect pests to a similar extent as did barley. However, in autumn cabbage and spring onions, while clover still reduced pest pressure below the control, its effect was significantly lower than that of barley. Barley intercropping significantly reduced the weight of both cabbage heads and onion bulbs, whereas clover intercropping did not. There were no significant differences between barley and clover in the availability of alternative prey for natural enemies or the occurrence of ground-dwelling insects, such as carabid beetles. While clover intercropping had a lower pest suppression effect than barley, its ability to mitigate yield loss is an important advantage. However, since it provides less weed suppression than barley, careful consideration is needed in fields with high weed density.</p>