Bean

Phaseolus vulgaris

Fabaceae

Cucumber

Cucumis sativus

Cucurbitaceae

Can you plant beans and cucumbers together?

Yes. Beans and cucumbers grow well together. A shared bed gave about 14% more harvest than separate beds in one field trial. That rests on a single study, so treat it as a lead, not a rule.

Why beans and cucumbers work together

More harvest from the same bed. In one field trial, a bed with both crops gave about 14% more harvest than the same space split into a bean bed and a cucumber bed.
Intercropping in cucumber (Cucumis sativus) under greenhouse conditions (Yildirim · 2004)
Garden charts recommend it. 3 garden chart entries recommend growing them together. Charts pass on gardening tradition; they are not tests.
Companion planting: Myth or reality? (2010 · Utah Pests News)
and 1 more source

What to plant with beans and cucumbers

Good neighbours of both, best tested first.

LettuceWith beans: 48% more harvestWith cucumbers: 35% more harvest
Sweet cornWith beans: 43% more harvestWith cucumbers: Fewer pests
TomatoWith beans: 18% more harvestWith cucumbers: 17% more harvest
RadishWith beans: 21% more harvestWith cucumbers: Recommended by garden charts, not tested
GarlicWith beans: Draws in pest-eating insectsWith cucumbers: Bigger combined harvest

All 9 plants that suit both, with the evidence

What to keep away from beans and cucumbers

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

3 chart entries: 3 recommend, 0 advise against.

All entries cite a source.

Research

No papers found on this pair.

Yield trial

Good

No per-crop split reported in these trials.

1 field trial. Published LERs lean high.

Good neighbours

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 (1)

Pick a card to spotlight its animation in the scene.

Bean CucumberMedian land equivalent ratio 1.14 over 1 trial: growing them together gave 1.14 times the harvest of two separate plots of the same size.

Partial LERs (medians): Bean 0.18 + Cucumber 0.96. Range across treatments 1.12 to 1.15. 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 trialgreenhouse / pot trial x1

Intercropping in cucumber (Cucumis sativus) under greenhouse conditions (Yildirim · 2004)

Tradition saysGood

3 gardening-lore entries. Lore is a starting point, not proof.

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

Companion Plants (Alabama Cooperative Extension System)

Companion plants for both beans and cucumbers

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

Plant	With beans	With cucumbers
Lettuce	48% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and lettuce	Fewer pests35% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 5 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for cucumbers and lettuce
Sweet corn	Draws in pest-eating insects, fewer pests and better soil and nutrient uptake43% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 22 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and corn	Fewer pestsField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for cucumbers and corn
Tomato	18% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and tomatoes	Lures pests away17% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 4 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for cucumbers and tomatoes
Radish	21% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and radishes	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for cucumbers and radishes
Garlic	Draws in pest-eating insectsField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for beans and garlic	Bigger combined harvest and better soil and nutrient uptakeChemicals that hold growth backField trial, 5 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for cucumbers and garlic
Dill	Fewer pests, better soil and nutrient uptake and bigger combined harvestField trial, 5 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for beans and dill	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for cucumbers and dill
Celery	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and celery	Fewer pestsField trial, 2 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for cucumbers and celery
Spinach	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and spinach	Better soil and nutrient uptakeGreenhouse or pot trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for cucumbers and spinach

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

Carrot

The evidence, with sources

Yield trialGood1 entry

GoodLER 1.14greenhouse / pot trial

Turkey, 2000-2001; Additive design; median LER 1.14 over 2 treatment(s) · partial LER Cucumber 0.96
Intercropping in cucumber (Cucumis sativus) under greenhouse conditions (Yildirim · 2004)

TraditionGood3 entries

GoodBean helps Cucumber
Beans, bush: helps Cucumber
Companion planting: Myth or reality? (2010 · Utah Pests News)
GoodCucumber helps Bean
Cucumber: helps Beans
Companion Plants (Alabama Cooperative Extension System)
GoodBean helps Cucumber
Cucumber: helped by beans
Companion planting: Myth or reality? (2010 · Utah Pests News)
Companion Plants (Alabama Cooperative Extension System)

Plan a bed with beans and cucumbers

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

Have you grown beans and cucumbers 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.