Bean

Phaseolus vulgaris

Fabaceae

Pepper

Capsicum annuum

Solanaceae

Can you plant beans and peppers together?

It depends. The sources disagree about beans and peppers. Garden charts disagree about it, while a shared bed gave about 191% more harvest than separate beds in one field trial.

Why it depends

Garden charts disagree. 1 chart entry recommends the pair and 1 advises against it. 1 of them cite no source. Charts pass on gardening tradition; they are not tests.
Effects of Bean Population and Row Arrangement on the Productivity of Chilli/Dwarf Bean (Capsicum annuum/Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Intercropping in Sri Lanka (De Costa · 1998 · Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science)
More harvest from the same bed. In one field trial, a bed with both crops gave about 191% more harvest than the same space split into a bean bed and a pepper bed.
Effects of Bean Population and Row Arrangement on the Productivity of Chilli/Dwarf Bean (Capsicum annuum/Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Intercropping in Sri Lanka (De Costa · 1998 · Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science)

What to plant with beans and peppers

Good neighbours of both, best tested first.

CarrotWith beans: Recommended by garden charts, not testedWith peppers: 127% more harvest
RadishWith beans: 21% more harvestWith peppers: 69% more harvest
Sweet cornWith beans: 43% more harvestWith peppers: 44% more harvest
BasilWith beans: 21% more harvestWith peppers: Fewer pests
EggplantWith beans: 13% more harvestWith peppers: Recommended by garden charts, not tested

All 9 plants that suit both, with the evidence

What to keep away from beans and peppers

KohlrabiWith beans: Garden charts advise against it, not tested
ChivesWith beans: Garden charts advise against it, not tested
KaleWith peppers: Garden charts advise against it, not tested
Brussels sproutsWith peppers: 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

Disputed

avoidgood

2 chart entries: 1 recommend, 1 advise against.

1 cited, 1 uncited.

Research

Mixed

avoidgood

1 paper found: 0 positive, 0 negative, 1 mixed.

yield / land use

auto-classified not reviewed by a person

Yield trial

Good

No per-crop split reported in these trials.

1 field trial. 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 (2)

Pick a card to spotlight its animation in the scene.

Bean PepperGrown together, Bean and Pepper gave a mixed harvest from the same ground.

Researchfield trial x1

Experimental dataset of the impact assessment of vegetable intercropping on agroeconomic performances, pests and beneficials, and soil resources. (Perrin B · 2023 · Data in brief)

Bean PepperMedian land equivalent ratio 2.91 over 1 trial: growing them together gave 2.91 times the harvest of two separate plots of the same size.

Partial LERs (medians): Bean 1.45 + Pepper 1.45. Range across treatments 2.27 to 3.89. 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 x1

Effects of Bean Population and Row Arrangement on the Productivity of Chilli/Dwarf Bean (Capsicum annuum/Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Intercropping in Sri Lanka (De Costa · 1998 · Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science)

Tradition saysDisputed

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

Companion plants for both beans and peppers

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

Plant	With beans	With peppers
Carrot	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and carrots	127% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for peppers and carrots
Radish	21% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and radishes	69% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for peppers and radishes
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	Lures pests away, better soil and nutrient uptake and less disease44% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 5 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for peppers and corn
Basil	Fewer pests21% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 3 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for beans and basil	Fewer pests and draws in pest-eating insectsMixed results on harvestField trial, 6 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for peppers and basil
Eggplant	13% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and eggplant	No trial foundSame family (Solanaceae): shares pests and diseasesNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for peppers and eggplant
Dill	Fewer pests, better soil and nutrient uptake and bigger combined harvestField trial, 5 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for beans and dill	Draws in pest-eating insectsField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for peppers and dill
Cilantro	No effect on pest-eating insectsField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and cilantro	Fewer pests and draws in pest-eating insectsField trial, 2 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for peppers and cilantro
Rosemary	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and rosemary	Fewer pestsGreenhouse or pot trial, 2 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for peppers and rosemary
Celery	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and celery	Better soil and nutrient uptakeField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for peppers and celery

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

ResearchMixed1 entry

Mixedyield / land usefield trialauto-classified

Experimental dataset of the impact assessment of vegetable intercropping on agroeconomic performances, pests and beneficials, and soil resources.
Experimental dataset of the impact assessment of vegetable intercropping on agroeconomic performances, pests and beneficials, and soil resources. (Perrin B · 2023 · Data in brief)

Relevance 86% · effect confidence 11%

Yield trialGood1 entry

GoodLER 2.91field trial

Sri Lanka, 1996; Additive design; median LER 2.91 over 12 treatment(s)
Effects of Bean Population and Row Arrangement on the Productivity of Chilli/Dwarf Bean (Capsicum annuum/Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Intercropping in Sri Lanka (De Costa · 1998 · Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science)

TraditionDisputed2 entries

GoodBean helps Pepper
Peppers: helped by Beans
Effects of Bean Population and Row Arrangement on the Productivity of Chilli/Dwarf Bean (Capsicum annuum/Phaseolus vulgaris L.) Intercropping in Sri Lanka (De Costa · 1998 · Journal of Agronomy and Crop Science)
Badadvises against
Peppers: avoid Beans
List of companion plants (uncited entry) (Wikipedia)

Plan a bed with beans and peppers

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

Have you grown beans and peppers 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.