Bean

Phaseolus vulgaris

Fabaceae

Eggplant

Solanum melongena

Solanaceae

Can you plant beans and eggplant together?

Yes. Beans and eggplant grow well together. A shared bed gave about 13% 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 eggplant work together

More harvest from the same bed. In one field trial, a bed with both crops gave about 13% more harvest than the same space split into a bean bed and a eggplant bed.
Intercropping with eggplant for proper utilisation of interspace under greenhouse conditions (Güvenç · 2005)
Garden charts recommend it. 2 garden chart entries recommend growing them together. None of them cites a source. Charts pass on gardening tradition; they are not tests.
List of companion plants (uncited entry) (Wikipedia)

What to plant with beans and eggplant

Good neighbours of both, best tested first.

CilantroWith beans: Recommended by garden chartsWith eggplant: 67% more harvest
LettuceWith beans: 48% more harvestWith eggplant: 16% more harvest
TomatoWith beans: 18% more harvestWith eggplant: 12% more harvest
GarlicWith beans: Draws in pest-eating insectsWith eggplant: 25% more harvest
RadishWith beans: 21% more harvestWith eggplant: Recommended by garden charts, not tested

All 6 plants that suit both, with the evidence

What to keep away from beans and eggplant

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.

0 cited, 2 uncited.

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 EggplantMedian land equivalent ratio 1.13 over 1 trial: growing them together gave 1.13 times the harvest of two separate plots of the same size.

Partial LERs (medians): Bean 0.18 + Eggplant 0.95. Range across treatments 1.11 to 1.14. 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 with eggplant for proper utilisation of interspace under greenhouse conditions (Güvenç · 2005)

Tradition saysGood

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

None of the 2 tradition entries cite a specific source.

Companion plants for both beans and eggplant

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

Plant	With beans	With eggplant
Cilantro	No effect on pest-eating insectsField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and cilantro	Fewer pests67% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for eggplant and cilantro
Lettuce	48% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and lettuce	16% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for eggplant and lettuce
Tomato	18% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and tomatoes	12% more harvest from the same spaceSame family (Solanaceae): shares pests and diseasesField trial, 2 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for eggplant and tomatoes
Garlic	Draws in pest-eating insectsField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for beans and garlic	Fewer pests and better soil and nutrient uptake25% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 3 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for eggplant and garlic
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 eggplant and radishes
Basil	Fewer pests21% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 3 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for beans and basil	Draws in pest-eating insectsGreenhouse or pot trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for eggplant and basil

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

Yield trialGood1 entry

GoodLER 1.13greenhouse / pot trial

Turkey, 2000-2001; Additive design; median LER 1.12 over 2 treatment(s) · partial LER Eggplant 0.945
Intercropping with eggplant for proper utilisation of interspace under greenhouse conditions (Güvenç · 2005)

TraditionGood2 entries

GoodEggplant helps Bean
Eggplant or Aubergine: helps Beans
List of companion plants (uncited entry) (Wikipedia)
GoodBean helps Eggplant
Eggplant or Aubergine: helped by green beans
List of companion plants (uncited entry) (Wikipedia)

Plan a bed with beans and eggplant

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

Have you grown beans and eggplant 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.