Bush beans: 72 good and bad companion plants

Other names

dwarf bean, French bean, snap bean

Botanical name

Phaseolus vulgaris subsp. vulgaris var. nanus

Family / Genus

Fabaceae / Phaseolus

Plant category

Legumes

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Bush beans belong to the common bean family, just like runner beans and climbing beans. They grow much shorter though, in a bushy shape, and don't need any climbing support. You can usually start harvesting them earlier than their climbing relatives.
Like all common beans, they originally come from South America. That makes them sensitive to cold, so only plant them outdoors once the last night frosts have passed.

Facts and figures

Light requirements

Sun / partial shade

Nutrient requirements

Light feeder

Difficulty level

Easy

Culture (according to Gertrud Franck)

B - late

Culture (according to Sister C. Weinrich)

Main crop

Growing period

50 days

Row spacing

45 cm

Plant spacing

10 cm

Growth height

30 - 60 cm

Sowing depth

3 cm

Germination temperature (minimum)

8 °C

Germination temperature (optimal)

18 - 25 °C

Germination type

Light and dark

Pre-growing period

14 days

Planting & harvest times of Bush bean

Direct sowing

Pre-grow

Transplant

Harvest

OutdoorsDirect sowing from Mid May to Mid July. Transplant to bed from Mid May to Mid July. Pre-grow about 14 days before transplanting, approximately between Early May and Late June. After a growing period of 50 days, harvest can begin around Mid July and continues until Mid October.

GreenhouseDirect sowing from Early April to Mid July. After a growing period of 50 days, harvest can begin around Mid June and continues until Mid October.

Sow and plant Bush bean

Instead of sowing beans in rows, you can also sow them in clusters. That means you put 5 seeds into a 3 cm deep hole every 40 cm, rather than just one. The little plants then support each other. This works especially well if you have heavy clay soil.

Location and soil

They don't need any special soil, just make sure it's not too acidic. If it is, add some lime.
They're a bit sensitive to wind.

Good and bad companions of Bush bean

Very good neighbours

Good neighbours

Lollo biando / Lollo rosso

Bad neighbours

Very bad neighbours

What grows well next to Bush bean

grove has rated 69 neighbours for Bush bean, in four levels. Reading through all of them takes a while. In grove you never study a list: while you plan, the bed itself shows you what fits in that spot, and strong filters leave only the plants that actually come into question.

grove knows that Bush bean is a main crop and suggests Fennel very good, Summer savory very good and Winter savory very good among others as companion crops that fit particularly well. If there is room, Tomato good is another main crop worth considering in the same bed. And perhaps Pot marigold very good as a helper plant?

But put something like Leek poor or Runner bean poor next to it and the warning lights come on.

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Predecessors and successors of Bush bean

Beans aren't good predecessors for themselves, other legumes (especially peas), or a few other plants like potatoes, spinach, lettuce and sunflowers. That's because of the fungus Sclerotinia, which can infect all of them.
Cereals make good predecessors for beans.

Beans are great preceding crops for many plants though, especially the hungrier ones, since they leave behind well-fertilised soil thanks to their nitrogen-fixing root nodule bacteria.

Good predecessors

Bad predecessors

Lollo biando / Lollo rosso

Very bad predecessors

Very good successors

Good successors

Bad successors

Very bad successors

Crop rotation

What stood on that bed three years ago is hard to recall come spring. grove remembers. Once you have planned with it for a few seasons it knows your beds and warns you as you plant when a growing break is still running. The other way round, grove points you to the spots where Bush bean fits particularly well right now.

Before Bush bean, grove suggests Tomato good, Carrot good or Courgette good among others. After it come Brussels sprouts very good, Cucumber good or Courgette good.

As a preceding crop: Lupin very poor, Onion poor, Potato poor and 30 more plants may only return to the same spot after 3 years. grove still remembers that three years from now. As a following crop: Pea very poor, Lamb's lettuce very poor, Lupin very poor and 24 more plants may only return to the same spot after 3 years.

And as soon as next year is planned, the Garden Fairy looks for the right green manure for the cold season in between all by itself, Spinach for example. How the Garden Fairy works

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Care and fertilising

Thanks to their symbiosis with root nodule bacteria that capture nitrogen from the air and pass it on to the plants, they don't need any fertiliser. A steady water supply gives you nicer pods.
Earth up the bush beans once they're 15 cm tall — this helps the little plants stand firm.

Diseases and pests

Susceptible to

Stem nematode

Two-spotted spider mite

Harvest and processing

Unlike peas, beans are toxic when raw. You need to cook them before eating.

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