Bean

Phaseolus vulgaris

Fabaceae

Lettuce

Lactuca sativa

Asteraceae

Can you plant beans and lettuce together?

Yes. Beans and lettuce grow well together. A shared bed gave about 48% more harvest than separate beds in 2 field trials. That rests on two studies, so treat it as a lead, not a rule.

Why beans and lettuce work together

More harvest from the same bed. In 2 field trials, a bed with both crops gave about 48% more harvest than the same space split into a bean bed and a lettuce bed.
Productivity, Quality and Profit of Sole or Intercropped Green Beau (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) (Abou-Hussein Sd · 2005)
and 1 more source
Garden charts recommend it. 2 garden chart entries recommend growing them together. Charts pass on gardening tradition; they are not tests.
Effect of intercropping on the performance of some summer vegetable crops grown under different row arrangements (Hadidi · 2011 · Lucrări ştiinţifice)

What to plant with beans and lettuce

Good neighbours of both, best tested first.

CarrotWith beans: Recommended by garden charts, not testedWith lettuce: 78% more harvest
CucumberWith beans: 14% more harvestWith lettuce: 35% more harvest
OkraWith beans: 25% more harvestWith lettuce: 9% more harvest
EggplantWith beans: 13% more harvestWith lettuce: 16% more harvest
Squash & pumpkinWith beans: 17% more harvestWith lettuce: 10% more harvest

All 9 plants that suit both, with the evidence

What to keep away from beans and lettuce

KohlrabiWith beans: Garden charts advise against it, not tested
ChivesWith beans: Garden charts advise against it, not tested
CeleryWith lettuce: Garden charts advise against it, not tested
ParsleyWith lettuce: 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

Good

avoidgood

2 chart entries: 2 recommend, 0 advise against.

All entries cite a source.

Research

No papers found on this pair.

Yield trial

Good

0.97

0.50

Bean gains more. Partial LER is each crop's share of the yield it would give alone.

2 field trials. 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.

What is going on (1)

Pick a card to spotlight its animation in the scene.

Bean LettuceMedian land equivalent ratio 1.49 over 2 trials: growing them together gave 1.49 times the harvest of two separate plots of the same size.

Partial LERs (medians): Bean 0.97 + Lettuce 0.50. Range across treatments 1.44 to 1.56. Medians are taken separately, so the parts need not add up to the median LER. LER above 1 is biased upward by publication bias.

Yield trialfield trial x2

Productivity, Quality and Profit of Sole or Intercropped Green Beau (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) (Abou-Hussein Sd · 2005)

Effect of intercropping on the performance of some summer vegetable crops grown under different row arrangements (Hadidi · 2011)

Tradition saysGood

2 gardening-lore entries. Lore is a starting point, not proof.

Effect of intercropping on the performance of some summer vegetable crops grown under different row arrangements (Hadidi · 2011 · Lucrări ştiinţifice)

Companion plants for both beans and lettuce

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

Plant	With beans	With lettuce
Carrot	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and carrots	78% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for lettuce and carrots
Cucumber	14% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and cucumbers	Fewer pests35% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 5 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for lettuce and cucumbers
Okra	25% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and okra	9% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for lettuce and okra
Eggplant	13% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and eggplant	16% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for lettuce and eggplant
Squash & pumpkin	Fewer pests and better soil and nutrient uptake17% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 7 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and squash	10% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for lettuce and squash
Dill	Fewer pests, better soil and nutrient uptake and bigger combined harvestField trial, 5 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for beans and dill	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for lettuce and dill
Cilantro	No effect on pest-eating insectsField trial, 1 study. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and cilantro	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for lettuce and cilantro
Spinach	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for beans and spinach	Bigger combined harvestGreenhouse or pot trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for lettuce and spinach
Garlic	Draws in pest-eating insectsField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for beans and garlic	No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for lettuce and garlic

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

Yield trialGood2 entries

GoodLER 1.46field trial

Egypt, 2003-2004; Additive design; median LER 1.46 over 2 treatment(s) · partial LER Bean 0.97, Lettuce 0.5
Productivity, Quality and Profit of Sole or Intercropped Green Beau (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) (Abou-Hussein Sd · 2005)
GoodLER 1.51field trial

Jordan, 2007; Replacement design; median LER 1.51 over 4 treatment(s)
Effect of intercropping on the performance of some summer vegetable crops grown under different row arrangements (Hadidi · 2011)

TraditionGood2 entries

GoodLettuce helps Bean
Lettuce: helps beans
Effect of intercropping on the performance of some summer vegetable crops grown under different row arrangements (Hadidi · 2011 · Lucrări ştiinţifice)
GoodBean helps Lettuce
Lettuce: helped by beans
Effect of intercropping on the performance of some summer vegetable crops grown under different row arrangements (Hadidi · 2011 · Lucrări ştiinţifice)

Plan a bed with beans and lettuce

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

Have you grown beans and lettuce 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.