Tradition
Good
avoidgood
1 chart entry: 1 recommend, 0 advise against.
All entries cite a source.
Pea
Pisum sativum
Fabaceae
Radish
Raphanus sativus
BrassicaceaeCan you plant peas and radishes together?
It depends. The sources disagree about peas and radishes. A shared bed gave about 30% more harvest than separate beds in one field trial, while growing them together improved the soil and nutrient uptake in a field trial.
Why it depends
More harvest from the same bed. In one field trial, a bed with both crops gave about 30% more harvest than the same space split into a pea bed and a radish bed.
Better soil and nutrient uptake. In a field trial, growing them together improved the soil and nutrient uptake.
Cover crop crucifer-legume mixtures provide effective nitrate catch crop and nitrogen green manure ecosystem services (Couëdel A · 2018 · Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment.)Garden charts recommend it. 1 garden chart entry recommends growing them together. Charts pass on gardening tradition; they are not tests.
Companion Plants (Alabama Cooperative Extension System)
What to plant with peas and radishes
Good neighbours of both, best tested first.
Sweet cornWith peas: 40% more harvestWith radishes: 40% more harvest
What to keep away from peas and radishes
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
Research
Mixed
avoidgood
3 papers found: 1 positive, 1 negative, 1 mixed.
yield / land use x2nutrients / soil
auto-classified not reviewed by a person
Yield trial
Good
0.10
1.16
Radish gains more. Partial LER is each crop's share of the yield it would give alone.
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.
Companion plants for both peas and radishes
Plants that are good neighbours of each. Biggest harvest gain first; each cell links to the evidence for that pair.
| Plant | With peas | With radishes |
|---|---|---|
| Sweet corn | Better soil and nutrient uptake40% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 11 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for peas and corn | 40% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for radishes and corn |
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
- Mixedyield / land usefield trialauto-classifiedPhysiological effects of some engineered nanomaterials on radish (Raphanus sativus L.) intercropped with pea (Pisum sativum L.).Physiological effects of some engineered nanomaterials on radish (<i>Raphanus sativus</i> L.) intercropped with pea (<i>Pisum sativum</i> L.) (Mehr-Un-Nisa · 2023)Relevance 97% · effect confidence 95%
- Badyield / land usefield trialauto-classifiedProductivity of Field Pea and Lentil with Cereal and Brassica IntercropsProductivity of Field Pea and Lentil with Cereal and Brassica Intercrops (Fernandez AL · 2015 · Agronomy Journal.)Relevance 94% · effect confidence 33%
- Goodnutrients / soilfield trialauto-classifiedCover crop crucifer-legume mixtures provide effective nitrate catch crop and nitrogen green manure ecosystem servicesCover crop crucifer-legume mixtures provide effective nitrate catch crop and nitrogen green manure ecosystem services (Couëdel A · 2018 · Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment.)Relevance 91% · effect confidence 70%
- GoodLER 1.30field trialPakistan, 2021-2022; Additive design; median LER 1.31 over 4 treatment(s) · partial LER Pea 0.105, Radish 1.16
- GoodRadish helps PeaRadish: helps peasCompanion Plants (Alabama Cooperative Extension System)
All neighbours of pea and of radish, or every pair at once in the companion planting chart.
Have you grown peas and radishes 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.