Cabbage

Brassica oleracea var. capitata

Brassicaceae

Bean

Phaseolus vulgaris

Fabaceae

Can you plant cabbage and beans together?

It depends. The sources disagree about cabbage and beans. Results on plant chemistry were mixed in a field trial, while a shared bed gave about 28% more harvest than separate beds in 5 field trials.

Why it depends

Mixed results on plant chemistry. In a field trial, results on plant chemistry were mixed.
Intercropping allelopathic crops with nitrogen-fixing legume crops: a tripartite symbiosis perspective (Kluson RA. · 1996 · Allelopathy : organisms, processes, and applications)
More harvest from the same bed. In 5 field trials, a bed with both crops gave about 28% more harvest than the same space split into a bean bed and a cabbage bed.
Effect of Intercropping Collard with Beans or Onions on Aphid Populations and Yields of Collard Under High Altitude Conditions in Kenya (Saidi · 2008)
and 4 more sources
Garden charts recommend it. 2 garden chart entries recommend growing them together. 1 of them cite no source. Charts pass on gardening tradition; they are not tests.
Companion planting: Myth or reality? (2010 · Utah Pests News)

What to plant with cabbage and beans

Good neighbours of both, best tested first.

CilantroWith cabbage: 70% more harvestWith beans: Recommended by garden charts
EggplantWith cabbage: 54% more harvestWith beans: 13% more harvest
DillWith cabbage: 55% more harvestWith beans: Fewer pests
TomatoWith cabbage: 34% more harvestWith beans: 18% more harvest
SpinachWith cabbage: 46% more harvestWith beans: Recommended by garden charts, not tested

All 12 plants that suit both, with the evidence

What to keep away from cabbage and beans

KohlrabiWith beans: Garden charts advise against it, not tested
ChivesWith beans: Garden charts advise against it, not tested

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

Tradition

Good

avoidgood

2 chart entries: 2 recommend, 0 advise against.

1 cited, 1 uncited.

Research

Mixed

avoidgood

2 papers found: 1 positive, 0 negative, 1 mixed.

yield / land useallelopathy

auto-classified not reviewed by a person

Yield trial

Good

0.91

0.30

Cabbage gains more. Partial LER is each crop's share of the yield it would give alone.

5 field trials. Published LERs lean high.

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.

What is going on (3)

Pick a card to spotlight its animation in the scene.

Cabbage BeanStudies disagree. At best, cabbage releases root chemicals that benefit Bean.

Researchfield trial x1

Intercropping allelopathic crops with nitrogen-fixing legume crops: a tripartite symbiosis perspective (Kluson RA. · 1996 · Allelopathy : organisms, processes, and applications)

Cabbage BeanGrown together, Cabbage and Bean gave more food from the same ground than apart.

Researchfield trial x1

Increasing Productivity with Intercropping Systems in Cabbage Production (Guvenc I · 2006 · Journal of sustainable agriculture)

Cabbage BeanMedian land equivalent ratio 1.28 over 5 trials: growing them together gave 1.28 times the harvest of two separate plots of the same size.

Partial LERs (medians): Cabbage 0.95 + Bean 0.30. Range across treatments 1.23 to 1.28. Medians are taken separately, so the parts need not add up to the median LER. LER above 1 is biased upward by publication bias.

Yield trialfield trial x5

Effect of Intercropping Collard with Beans or Onions on Aphid Populations and Yields of Collard Under High Altitude Conditions in Kenya (Saidi · 2008)

Intercropping based on cauliflower: More productive, profitable and highly sustainable (Yildirim · 2005)

3 more sources

White Cabbage Productivity in Intercropping Production Systems (Bavec · 2012)

Increasing Productivity with Intercropping Systems in Cabbage Production (Guvenc · 2006)

A Study on Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) Based Intercropping System (Kabiraj · 2017)

Tradition saysGood

2 gardening-lore entries, 1 without a specific citation. Lore is a starting point, not proof.

Companion planting: Myth or reality? (2010 · Utah Pests News)

Companion plants for both cabbage and beans

Plants that are good neighbours of each. Biggest harvest gain first; each cell links to the evidence for that pair.

Plant	With cabbage	With beans
Cilantro	Draws in pest-eating insects70% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 7 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for cabbage and cilantro	No effect on pest-eating insectsField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and cilantro
Eggplant	54% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for cabbage and eggplant	13% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and eggplant
Dill	Draws in pest-eating insects and lures pests away55% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 3 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for cabbage and dill	Fewer pests, better soil and nutrient uptake and bigger combined harvestField trial, 5 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for beans and dill
Tomato	34% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 4 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for cabbage and tomatoes	18% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and tomatoes
Spinach	46% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 3 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for cabbage and spinach	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and spinach
Basil	12% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for cabbage and basil	Fewer pests21% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 3 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for beans and basil
Celery	27% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for cabbage and celery	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and celery
Okra	Bigger combined harvestField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for cabbage and okra	25% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and okra
Carrot	19% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for cabbage and carrots	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and carrots
Cauliflower	No trial foundSame family (Brassicaceae): shares pests and diseasesNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for cabbage and cauliflower	Bigger combined harvestField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and cauliflower
Sage	No effect on harvestField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for cabbage and sage	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and sage

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).

Recommended by garden charts for both, not tested yet

Rosemary

The evidence, with sources

ResearchMixed2 entries

Goodyield / land usefield trialauto-classified

Increasing Productivity with Intercropping Systems in Cabbage Production
Increasing Productivity with Intercropping Systems in Cabbage Production (Guvenc I · 2006 · Journal of sustainable agriculture)

Relevance 85% · effect confidence 50%
Mixedallelopathyfield trialauto-classified

Intercropping allelopathic crops with nitrogen-fixing legume crops: a tripartite symbiosis perspective
Intercropping allelopathic crops with nitrogen-fixing legume crops: a tripartite symbiosis perspective (Kluson RA. · 1996 · Allelopathy : organisms, processes, and applications)

Relevance 92% · effect confidence 70%

Yield trialGood5 entries

GoodLER 1.47field trial

Kenya, 1999-2000; Additive design; median LER 1.47 over 8 treatment(s)
Effect of Intercropping Collard with Beans or Onions on Aphid Populations and Yields of Collard Under High Altitude Conditions in Kenya (Saidi · 2008)
GoodLER 1.29field trial

Turkey, 2000-2002; Additive design; median LER 1.29 over 3 treatment(s) · partial LER Cabbage 0.98
Intercropping based on cauliflower: More productive, profitable and highly sustainable (Yildirim · 2005)
GoodLER 1.21field trial

Slovenia, 2007-2009; Additive design; median LER 1.21 over 1 treatment(s) · partial LER Cabbage 0.73
White Cabbage Productivity in Intercropping Production Systems (Bavec · 2012)

Show 2 more

GoodLER 1.28field trial

Turkey, 2000-2002; Additive design; median LER 1.28 over 3 treatment(s) · partial LER Bean 0.28, Cabbage 1
Increasing Productivity with Intercropping Systems in Cabbage Production (Guvenc · 2006)
GoodLER 1.23field trial

India, 2013-2015; NA design; median LER 1.23 over 1 treatment(s) · partial LER Bean 0.31, Cabbage 0.92
A Study on Cauliflower (Brassica oleracea var. botrytis) Based Intercropping System (Kabiraj · 2017)

TraditionGood2 entries

GoodCabbage helps Bean
Cabbage: helps Beans
List of companion plants (uncited entry) (Wikipedia)
GoodBean helps Cabbage
Cabbage: helped by Beans
Companion planting: Myth or reality? (2010 · Utah Pests News)

Plan a bed with cabbage and beans

All neighbours of cabbage and of bean, or every pair at once in the companion planting chart.

Have you grown cabbage 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.