Tradition
No chart mentions this pair.
Fava bean
Vicia faba
Fabaceae
Potato
Solanum tuberosum
SolanaceaeCan you plant fava beans and potatoes together?
Yes. Fava beans and potatoes grow well together. Potatoes had less disease next to fava beans in a field trial.
Why fava beans and potatoes work together
Less disease. In a field trial, potatoes had less disease next to fava beans.
Quantifying the relative importance of disease-suppressive mechanisms in species mixtures: a case study of late blight in strip-intercropped potato. (Brandon M · 2026 · Journal of experimental botany)No clear effect on disease. In 2 field trials, growing them together made no clear difference to disease.
The potential of strip cropping to suppress potato late blight (Homulle Z · 2024 · Field Crops Research.)and 1 more source
What to plant with fava beans and potatoes
Good neighbours of both, best tested first.
BroccoliWith fava beans: Lures pests awayWith potatoes: Bigger combined harvest
What to keep away from fava beans and potatoes
CarrotWith potatoes: Garden charts advise against it, not tested
CucumberWith potatoes: Garden charts advise against it, not tested
Squash & pumpkinWith potatoes: Garden charts advise against it, not tested- AsparagusWith potatoes: 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
Research
Good
avoidgood
3 papers found: 1 positive, 0 negative, 2 no effect.
disease suppression x3
auto-classified not reviewed by a person
Yield trial
No intercropping yield trial.
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.
Companion plants for both fava beans and potatoes
Plants that are good neighbours of each. Biggest harvest gain first; each cell links to the evidence for that pair.
| Plant | With fava beans | With potatoes |
|---|---|---|
| Broccoli | Lures pests awayField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for fava beans and broccoli | Bigger combined harvestField trial, 2 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for potatoes and broccoli |
The evidence, with sources
- No effectdisease suppressionfield trialauto-classifiedThe potential of strip cropping to suppress potato late blightThe potential of strip cropping to suppress potato late blight (Homulle Z · 2024 · Field Crops Research.)Relevance 95% · effect confidence 90%
- No effectdisease suppressionfield trialauto-classifiedDisease-suppressive mechanisms in contrasting potato-based strip-cropping systems.Disease-suppressive mechanisms in contrasting potato-based strip-cropping systems. (Homulle Z · 2025 · Eur J Plant Pathol.)Relevance 95% · effect confidence 93%
- Gooddisease suppressionfield trialauto-classifiedFava bean helps PotatoQuantifying the relative importance of disease-suppressive mechanisms in species mixtures: a case study of late blight in strip-intercropped potato.Quantifying the relative importance of disease-suppressive mechanisms in species mixtures: a case study of late blight in strip-intercropped potato. (Brandon M · 2026 · Journal of experimental botany)Relevance 95% · effect confidence 88%
All neighbours of fava bean and of potato, or every pair at once in the companion planting chart.
Have you grown fava beans and potatoes together?
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