Bean

Phaseolus vulgaris

Fabaceae

Squash & pumpkin

Cucurbita spp.

Cucurbitaceae

Can you plant beans and squash together?

Yes. Beans and squash grow well together. A shared bed gave about 17% more harvest than separate beds in one field trial, and growing them together improved the soil and nutrient uptake in a field trial.

Why beans and squash work together

More harvest from the same bed. In one field trial, a bed with both crops gave about 17% more harvest than the same space split into a bean bed and a squash & pumpkin bed.
Effect of intercropping on the performance of some summer vegetable crops grown under different row arrangements (Hadidi · 2011)
Better soil and nutrient uptake. In a field trial, growing them together improved the soil and nutrient uptake.
Reuniting the Three Sisters: collaborative science with Native growers to improve soil and community health. (Kapayou DG · 2023 · Agriculture and human values)
Fewer pests. In a greenhouse or pot trial, growing them together kept pests down.
'The Three Sisters' (maize/bean/squash) polyculture promotes the direct and indirect defences of maize against herbivores (Liao H · 2024 · European Journal of Agronomy.)
Garden charts recommend it. 3 garden chart entries recommend growing them together. 1 of them cite no source. Charts pass on gardening tradition; they are not tests.
Effect of intercropping on the performance of some summer vegetable crops grown under different row arrangements (Hadidi · 2011 · Lucrări ştiinţifice)
No clear effect on pest-eating insects. In a field trial, growing them together made no clear difference to pest-eating insects.
The Mesoamerican milpa agroecosystem fosters greater arthropod diversity compared to monocultures (Grof-Tisza P · 2024 · Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment.)
No clear effect on pests. In a field trial, growing them together made no clear difference to pests.
Effect of silver reflective mulch and a summer squash trap crop on densities of immature Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) on organic bean. (Smith HA · 2000 · Journal of economic entomology)

What to plant with beans and squash

Good neighbours of both, best tested first.

LettuceWith beans: 48% more harvestWith squash: 10% more harvest
Sweet cornWith beans: 43% more harvestWith squash: 13% more harvest
TomatoWith beans: 18% more harvestWith squash: 18% more harvest
OkraWith beans: 25% more harvestWith squash: About the same harvest
RadishWith beans: 21% more harvestWith squash: Recommended by garden charts, not tested

How each one was tested, with the evidence

What to keep away from beans and squash

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

2 cited, 1 uncited.

Research

Good

avoidgood

6 papers found: 4 positive, 0 negative, 2 no effect.

yield / land use x2pest suppressionnatural enemiesnutrients / soil

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.

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 (6)

Pick a card to spotlight its animation in the scene.

Bean Squash & pumpkin HelpsBean helps keep pests off Squash & pumpkin: its scent and plant chemistry confuse or repel the insects that would attack it.

Squash & pumpkin Bean HelpsSquash & pumpkin helps keep pests off Bean: its scent and plant chemistry confuse or repel the insects that would attack it.

Researchgreenhouse / pot trial x1

'The Three Sisters' (maize/bean/squash) polyculture promotes the direct and indirect defences of maize against herbivores (Liao H · 2024 · European Journal of Agronomy.)

Bean Squash & pumpkin No clear effectStudies looked for natural enemies from Bean to Squash & pumpkin and found no clear effect.

Squash & pumpkin Bean No clear effectStudies looked for natural enemies from Squash & pumpkin to Bean and found no clear effect.

Researchfield trial x1

The Mesoamerican milpa agroecosystem fosters greater arthropod diversity compared to monocultures (Grof-Tisza P · 2024 · Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment.)

Bean Squash & pumpkinStudies looked for trap crop from Bean to Squash & pumpkin and found no clear effect. The studies do not say which plant acts as the decoy.

Researchfield trial x1

Effect of silver reflective mulch and a summer squash trap crop on densities of immature Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) on organic bean. (Smith HA · 2000 · Journal of economic entomology)

Bean Squash & pumpkin HelpsBean, a legume, fixes nitrogen from the air in root nodules and shares some with Squash & pumpkin; fungal threads in the soil link their roots.

Squash & pumpkin Bean HelpsSquash & pumpkin changes the soil for Bean, sharing nutrients or feeding the fungal threads that link their roots.

Researchfield trial x1

Reuniting the Three Sisters: collaborative science with Native growers to improve soil and community health. (Kapayou DG · 2023 · Agriculture and human values)

Bean Squash & pumpkinGrown together, Bean and Squash & pumpkin gave more food from the same ground than apart.

Researchfield trial x2

Root foraging elicits niche complementarity-dependent yield advantage in the ancient 'three sisters' (maize/bean/squash) polyculture. (Zhang C · 2014 · Annals of botany)

Milpa polyculture enhances productivity through crop complementarity and potential carry over effects (Bustos-Segura C · 2026 · bioRxiv)

Bean Squash & pumpkinMedian land equivalent ratio 1.17 over 1 trial: growing them together gave 1.17 times the harvest of two separate plots of the same size.

Partial LERs (medians): Bean 0.58 + Squash & pumpkin 0.58. Range across treatments 1.08 to 1.39. 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

Effect of intercropping on the performance of some summer vegetable crops grown under different row arrangements (Hadidi · 2011)

Tradition saysGood

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

Effect of intercropping on the performance of some summer vegetable crops grown under different row arrangements (Hadidi · 2011 · Lucrări ştiinţifice)

Companion plants for both beans and squash

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

Plant	With beans	With squash
Lettuce	48% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and lettuce	10% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for squash 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	13% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 4 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for squash and corn
Tomato	18% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and tomatoes	18% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for squash and tomatoes
Okra	25% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and okra	About the same harvest as separate bedsField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for squash and okra
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 squash and radishes

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

ResearchGood6 entries

Goodpest suppressiongreenhouse / pot trialauto-classified

'The Three Sisters' (maize/bean/squash) polyculture promotes the direct and indirect defences of maize against herbivores
'The Three Sisters' (maize/bean/squash) polyculture promotes the direct and indirect defences of maize against herbivores (Liao H · 2024 · European Journal of Agronomy.)

Relevance 83% · effect confidence 74%
No effectnatural enemiesfield trialauto-classified

The Mesoamerican milpa agroecosystem fosters greater arthropod diversity compared to monocultures
The Mesoamerican milpa agroecosystem fosters greater arthropod diversity compared to monocultures (Grof-Tisza P · 2024 · Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment.)

Relevance 90% · effect confidence 58%
Goodnutrients / soilfield trialauto-classified

Reuniting the Three Sisters: collaborative science with Native growers to improve soil and community health.
Reuniting the Three Sisters: collaborative science with Native growers to improve soil and community health. (Kapayou DG · 2023 · Agriculture and human values)

Relevance 80% · effect confidence 23%

Show 3 more

No effecttrap cropfield trialauto-classified

Effect of silver reflective mulch and a summer squash trap crop on densities of immature Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) on organic bean.
Effect of silver reflective mulch and a summer squash trap crop on densities of immature Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) on organic bean. (Smith HA · 2000 · Journal of economic entomology)

Relevance 89% · effect confidence 87%
Goodyield / land usefield trialauto-classified

Root foraging elicits niche complementarity-dependent yield advantage in the ancient 'three sisters' (maize/bean/squash) polyculture.
Root foraging elicits niche complementarity-dependent yield advantage in the ancient 'three sisters' (maize/bean/squash) polyculture. (Zhang C · 2014 · Annals of botany)

Relevance 89% · effect confidence 87%
Goodyield / land usefield trialauto-classified

Bean helps Squash & pumpkin
Milpa polyculture enhances productivity through crop complementarity and potential carry over effects
Milpa polyculture enhances productivity through crop complementarity and potential carry over effects (Bustos-Segura C · 2026 · bioRxiv)

Relevance 92% · effect confidence 42%

Yield trialGood1 entry

GoodLER 1.17field trial

Jordan, 2007; Replacement design; median LER 1.17 over 4 treatment(s)
Effect of intercropping on the performance of some summer vegetable crops grown under different row arrangements (Hadidi · 2011)

TraditionGood3 entries

GoodSquash & pumpkin helps Bean
Pumpkin: helps (in trad. Three Sisters partnership) beans
List of companion plants (uncited entry) (Wikipedia)
GoodSquash & pumpkin helps Bean
Squash: helps beans
Effect of intercropping on the performance of some summer vegetable crops grown under different row arrangements (Hadidi · 2011 · Lucrări ştiinţifice)
GoodBean helps Squash & pumpkin
Squash: helped by Beans
Effect of intercropping on the performance of some summer vegetable crops grown under different row arrangements (Hadidi · 2011 · Lucrări ştiinţifice)

Plan a bed with beans and squash

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

Have you grown beans and squash 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.