12 Green Bean Companion Plants for Your Tastiest Crop Yet

Cucumber

Bush varieties of cucumbers (Cucumis sativus) are excellent companion plants for green beans, says Rebecca Sears, gardening expert and CMO at Ferry-Morse. This is because both plants enjoy the same growing conditions, including warm temperatures, rich soil, and plenty of water. 

"When planning out your garden, I recommend opting for Spacemaster Cucumbers, as this variety only requires a third of the space normally needed, yet will still produce three times more cucumbers," she says. 

• Zones: 4 to 12  
• Mature size: 2 to 6 feet tall x 1 to 3 feet wide 
• Care requirements: Full sun; consistent watering; well-draining soil

Thyme

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is the perfect addition to herb and vegetable gardens and is especially beneficial for green beans thanks to its low-growing habit that makes for good ground cover. This helps control weeds while maintaining soil moisture for your green beans. It’s also pretty resilient, making it a practical and protective companion to your green bean patch. 

• Zones: 2 to 10
• Mature size: 6 to 12 inches tall x 6 to 16 inches wide
• Care requirements: Full sun; drought tolerant; well-draining soil

Nasturium

Nasturtiums (Tropaeolum) are perennial herbaceous plants that develop beautiful bright orange blossoms. "Not only can nasturtiums attract helpful pollinators, like butterflies and bees, to your garden, but they also work to keep pests like aphids and whiteflies away from your growing green beans," Sears says. 

She adds that as they decompose, nasturtiums can also improve soil fertility and structure, benefitting your green beans and other plants in your garden. Bonus: the flowers are edible and have a peppery taste!

• Zones: 2 to 11
• Mature size: 1 to 10 feet tall x 1 to 3 feet wide
• Care requirements: Full sun; drought tolerant; well-draining soil

Marigolds

Another vibrant flowering plant, marigolds (tagetes) are championed by gardeners for their natural pest-repelling powers. "Its strong smell protects against aphid infestation and yet draws in pollinators to increase your harvest," says Sarah Raven, gardening expert and author of Sarah Raven’s Garden Cookbook. "We pick the flowers to scatter over puddings and salads—they’re edible—and with stem ends seared for ten seconds, they make a great cut flower."

• Zones: 2 to 11
• Mature size: 4 to 48 inches tall x 6 to 24 inches wide 
• Care requirements: Full sun; moderate water; well-draining fertile soil

Peas

Like green beans, peas (Pisum sativum) are a type of legume that helps with nitrogen levels in your garden, which helps enrich the soil for neighboring plants. Planting these two together creates a powerful nitrogen duo, essentially doubling the benefits. This helps create healthy soil for robust plant growth. Their similar growth habits also make them quite compatible. 

• Zones: 3 to 11
• Mature Size: 18 to 30 inches tall x 8 to 24 inches wide  
• Care requirements: Full sun to partial shade; regular watering; well-draining loamy soil

Rosemary

This versatile herb (salvia Rosmarinus) makes for the perfect addition to roasted potatoes and savory soups, and it’s also an excellent companion plant for green beans. Rosemary’s strong scent helps repel different garden pests such as bean beetles and aphids. Planting rosemary near green beans creates a natural pest deterrent, improving the health and productivity of the bean plants.  

• Zones: 6 to 9
• Mature size: 1 to 3 feet tall x 2 to 4 feet wide
• Care requirements: Full sun; drought-tolerant; well-draining soil

Sunflowers

Green beans and sunflowers (helianthus annuus) may seem worlds apart in terms of plant type, but these two have a unique symbiotic relationship. Sunflowers act as natural trellises for vining green beans called pole beans. "Sunflowers look fabulous with any jack-in-the-bean stalk bean, both on quick and rampant growth curves at just the same time," Raven says. "Sunflowers are great for pollinators, too, and, of course, feed the birds, as well."

• Zones: 2 to 11
• Mature size: 1 to 15 feet tall x 1 to 3 feet wide 
• Care requirements: Full sun; moderate, deep watering; well-draining fertile soil

Radishes

With their zippy flavor that adds the perfect brightness and crunch to salads, radishes (Raphanus sativus) make for a wonderful addition to your garden. They’re also an excellent companion plant for green beans since they grow quickly underground and help break up compacted soil. This improves overall soil structure and creates a natural aeration effect. This peppery veggie also deters cucumber beetles and root maggots. 

• Zones: 2 to 11
• Mature size: 6 to 18 inches tall x 6 to 9 inches wide
• Care requirements: Full sun to partial shade; regular watering; well-draining loose soil

Butternut Squash

Winter squash varieties, such as butternut squash (Cucurbita moschata 'butternut'), have large leaves that effectively cover your soil. "This provides shade to your soil, which helps retain moisture and reduce evaporation, in turn benefiting green beans—particularly during hot and dry periods," says Sears. "The large leaves of your squash plants can also help suppress weeds by blocking sunlight, allowing your plants to soak up more nutrients and water.”

• Zones: 3 to 10 
• Mature size: 9 to 18 inches tall x 10 to 15 feet wide
• Care requirements: Full sun; regular deep watering; well-draining rich soil

Spinach

The mighty spinach plant (Spinacia oleracea) is loaded with vitamins and minerals, making it a great addition to any vegetable patch. This leafy green is also a great companion plant to green beans, thanks to its slightly shorter height. The green beans provide shade, prolonging the spinach growing season by preventing bolting and excess sun exposure. The low growing height also suppresses weeds and conserves soil moisture, which benefits the green beans’ growth. 

• Zones: 3 to 9
• Mature size: 8 to 12 inches tall x 6 to 12 inches wide
• Care requirements: partial shade; regular watering; well-draining fertile soil

Catnip

Catnip (Nepeta cataria) is commonly used in vegetable gardens to deter flea beetles and aphids. Its strong scent acts as an insect repellent, making it a good companion plant for green beans. Catnip's blooms can also attract pollinators and helpful garden insects.

• Zones: 3 to 9
• Mature size: 2 to 3 feet tall x 2 to 3 feet wide
• Care requirements: Full sun to partial shade; drought tolerant; well-draining soil

Basil

Basil (Ocimum basilicum) is an excellent companion plant for green beans. Its aromatic oils are known to deter pests like thrips, aphids, whiteflies, and Japanese beetles, which commonly target bean plants. Basil is also compact enough not to compete with green beans for sunlight or root space.

• Zones: 2 to 11
• Mature size: 18 to 24 inches tall x 12 to 24 inches wide
• Care requirements: Full sun; well-draining soil