Lettuce

Lactuca sativa

Asteraceae

Pea

Pisum sativum

Fabaceae

Can you plant lettuce and peas together?

Yes. Lettuce and peas grow well together. A shared bed gave about 19% 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 lettuce and peas work together

More harvest from the same bed. In one field trial, a bed with both crops gave about 19% more harvest than the same space split into a lettuce bed and a pea bed.
The Effects of Crop Combination and Row Arrangement in the lntercropping of Lettuce, Favabean and Pea on Weed Biomass and Diversity and on Crop Yields (Sharaiha · 1992)

What to plant with lettuce and peas

Good neighbours of both, best tested first.

GarlicWith lettuce: Recommended by garden charts, not testedWith peas: 30% more harvest
SpinachWith lettuce: Bigger combined harvestWith peas: Recommended by garden charts, not tested
MintWith lettuce: Helpful plant chemistryWith peas: Recommended by garden charts, not tested
CilantroRecommended by garden charts for both, not tested yet

How each one was tested, with the evidence

What to keep away from lettuce and peas

CarrotWith peas: Smaller combined harvest
CeleryWith lettuce: Garden charts advise against it, not tested
ParsleyWith lettuce: Garden charts advise against it, not tested
OnionWith peas: Garden charts advise against it, not tested
ChivesWith peas: 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

No chart mentions this pair.

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.

Companion plants for both lettuce and peas

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

Plant	With lettuce	With peas
Garlic	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for lettuce and garlic	30% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for peas and garlic
Spinach	Bigger combined harvestGreenhouse or pot trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for lettuce and spinach	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for peas and spinach
Mint	Helpful plant chemistryGreenhouse or pot trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for lettuce and mint	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for peas and mint

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

Cilantro

The evidence, with sources

Yield trialGood1 entry

GoodLER 1.19field trial

USA, 1990; Replacement design; median LER 1.19 over 8 treatment(s)
The Effects of Crop Combination and Row Arrangement in the lntercropping of Lettuce, Favabean and Pea on Weed Biomass and Diversity and on Crop Yields (Sharaiha · 1992)

Plan a bed with lettuce and peas

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

Have you grown lettuce and peas 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.