How to Use Beans as a Companion Plant

If you've never tried companion planting, you may find it brings another depth of growing to your garden. Choosing companion plants is an art, and you can use them to help bring color and texture to your garden, but they also can help keep away pests and weeds, so they are beneficial to the other plants, as well. Here is how to use beans as a companion plant.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Bean plants or seeds
• A garden or planting area

1. Plant your bean plants or seeds every two to three weeks for several weeks to ensure you have a continual harvest throughout the summer. When you pick the beans, pick green beans when they are young and shell beans when they are still plump and tender. Dry beans should rattle in the pod and be dry on the plant before you harvest them.

2. Plant beans with corn or tomatoes to help them grow better and produce more. If you suffer from bean beetles, plant summer or winter savory and rosemary near your bean plants. Summer savory is said to help the growth and yield of beans. Corn and beans do well near each other, and so do celery and cucumbers.

3. Consider that, according to many gardeners, garlic, shallots and chives do not do well near beans, and they can harm the growth of the beans as well.

4. Know that beans can grow in average soil, but they like full sun. Don't plant them in cold or wet soil, the seeds will rot before they sprout.