Tradition
No chart mentions this pair.
Broccoli
Brassica oleracea var. italica
Brassicaceae
Bean
Phaseolus vulgaris
FabaceaeCan you plant broccoli and beans together?
It depends. The sources disagree about broccoli and beans. 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.
Crop interactions in broccoli intercropping (Santos RHS · 2002 · Biological agriculture & horticulture)
What to plant with broccoli and beans
Good neighbours of both, best tested first.
TomatoWith broccoli: Recommended by garden charts, not testedWith beans: 18% more harvest
DillWith broccoli: Recommended by garden charts, not testedWith beans: Fewer pests
CauliflowerWith broccoli: Lures pests awayWith beans: Bigger combined harvest
What to keep away from broccoli and beans
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 broccoli and beans
Plants that are good neighbours of each. Biggest harvest gain first; each cell links to the evidence for that pair.
| Plant | With broccoli | With beans |
|---|---|---|
| Tomato | No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for broccoli and tomatoes | 18% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and tomatoes |
| Dill | No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for broccoli and dill | Fewer pests, better soil and nutrient uptake and bigger combined harvestField trial, 5 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for beans and dill |
| Cauliflower | Lures pests awaySame family (Brassicaceae): shares pests and diseasesField trial, 2 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for broccoli and cauliflower | Bigger combined harvestField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and cauliflower |
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-classifiedCrop interactions in broccoli intercroppingCrop interactions in broccoli intercropping (Santos RHS · 2002 · Biological agriculture & horticulture)Relevance 93% · effect confidence 28%
All neighbours of broccoli and of bean, or every pair at once in the companion planting chart.
Have you grown broccoli and beans 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.