Bush beans are a very popular garden vegetable that is very easy to grow. This member of the pea family can grow in almost any soil condition.
Its soil-fixing ability makes them a good neighbor of almost any other plant, and bush beans also help protect other plants through pest control.
It can grow up to 2 to 3 ft tall, and its tall growing ability also provides shade to other small plants, preventing them from wilting.
They are generally confused with pole beans, but in fact, pole beans are climbing, and bush beans are dwarf, making them uniquely different from each other.
Bush beans have a higher risk of diseases and yield fewer crops than pole beans. However, they produce beans faster than pole beans and do not need any support for standing up front.
In this article, we will read about the best companion plants for bush beans and what can be avoided from planting near them.
Let us dive just right in.
Why Does Bush Bean Need Companion Plants?
Every plant requires a good companion plant for healthy and productive growth. Bush beans are prone to some pests, which is one of the main reasons they need companion plants.
Plants like Borage, Radish, and Strawberries are helpful in repelling pests like aphids, and Mexican flea beetles, which feed and damage the bush bean crops.
Bush beans also need companion planting because plants like cucumbers and radish help in beans pod development and ensure a good, healthy, and fast growth of the crop.
Bush beans also get help from plants like carrots. If a carrot is planted nearby bush beans, it helps the bush bean plants by loosening the soil around them and providing nutrients to the soil through their deep down roots.
The bush bean plant utilizes the loosened soil to take up air, water, and nitrogen to the soil improving its self-growth.
6 Best Bush Bean Companion Plants
There are several plants that enhance the growth, productivity, and health of bush beans if planted alongside. Let us know about some of those good companion plants of Bush beans.
1. Cucumbers
Bush beans and cucumbers are best buddies in the garden and benefit highly from each other’s presence.
Bush beans improve the soil by increasing the nitrogen and other nutrients of the soil; this helps cucumbers take up the extra nitrogen released by the bush beans into the soil.
In return, cucumbers increase the pod development of the bush bean plants, enhancing productivity and the strong growth of the plant.
2. Savory
Considered one of the essential companion plants of bush beans, savory is used popularly in kitchens with bean, and their many benefits to gardening makes it stand out.
Savory has unique pest-repelling qualities and is very effective in repelling mosquitoes along with Mexican bean beetles, which are heavy feeds of beans.
Savory also adds to their efforts by adding nutrients to the soil required by bush beans. They have anti-fungal properties, allowing their neighboring plants to grow healthy and infection-free.
Beans and savories do not compete with each other and grow well, making them good partners.
3. Radish
Bush beans and radish plants are good friends and complement each other well if planted nearby.
Radish increases pod development and enhances the plant’s growth, and beans complement radish by providing them the nitrogen nutrients the soil requires.
Radish also invites beautiful and beneficial pollinators to the garden bed. It acts as a pest controller by attracting ladybugs and hoverflies to feed on aphids that damage the growth of bush bean plants.
Apart from all the benefits mentioned above, these plants are highly used in the kitchen and make a healthy, nutritious meal.
4. Potatoes
Making it to the list of good companion plants of bush beans is the ever-loved Potatoes. Both these plants make a very good duo and bring lots of productivity to the garden.
Beans help potatoes right when they need the most, i.e., during the last quarter of their growing season. Bush beans keep the soil moist and provide shade for moisture retention, which the potatoes need.
Bush beans also deliver nitrogen to the soil, enhancing the flavor and texture of the potatoes, which are served to us healthy and tasty.
As a return gift, potatoes control pests like Mexican beetles from attacking the bush bean crop.
5. Strawberries
Ah, the loveable and popular strawberries share a very good bond with bush beans, as their soil requirements are the same, and they do not compete for nutrients aiding each other in healthy growth.
Strawberries safeguard bush beans as they protect them from strong winds and their odor, which helps keep insects and other harmful pests at bay.
Bush beans provide a fertilizer that they make by converting nitrogen and releasing the soil, which is then used by the strawberries.
Strawberries are a low-growing plant, beneficial as ground covers, making a perfect partner for bush beans.
6. Carrots
Another good companion of bush beans is a deep-growing carrot plant, which helps bush beans grow and thrive.
The deep roots of carrots help loosen the soil, which helps bush beans intake nutrients, air, and water necessary for their healthy growth.
Carrots also provide nutrients to the soil deep down where no other plant can reach. They are very good neighbors as, unlike many other plants, they do not attract pests that can damage anyone’s growth.
Bush beans, as one friend should, help them by providing ample amounts of nutrients and nitrogen for their enriched health and growth.
Together they make a very good addition to a dinner table as they both are very healthy and nutritious.
2 Worst Companion Plants For Bush Bean
As said, bush beans go along with a lot of plants, but there are certain plants that should be avoided planting near the bush beans as they can stunt the growth of bush beans.
Let us have a look at them.
1. Allium Family
Plants in the allium family are not good for the health of bush bean plants. Plants like garlic, onion, chives, and leeks, amongst others, should not be planted with bush beans.
These plants can prevent the bush bean from the nitrogen fixation process, and their antibacterial characteristics are also not good for bush beans.
2. Sunflowers
Sunflower is harmful to bush bean plants and can stunt their growth. They are stunning in looks, but they excrete a harmful chemical compound that is very toxic for bush beans.
What Are Bush Bean Growing Requirements?
Knowing the basic growing requirements of bush beans is very critical as they need care for good health and fast growth.
We will see the basic growing requirements of bush beans below and understand their growing conditions.
1. Light Requirements
The Bush bean plant needs to see the direct sun at least six to eight hours daily. They do not mind a little shade every now and then, but its more productive way is to shine in the sun.
2. Soil Requirements
Bush beans require loamy soil, which is slightly acidic; neutral will also work. They need good draining soil, which will keep them safe from fungal infections.
Avoid weeds growing around the plants, as they can compete for nutrients afterward, and also do not stand nearby the garden bed.
3. Water Requirements
This plant needs constant moisturizing and needs watering twice daily. If there is rain, then prevent watering too much water can cause fungal infections.
Also, water them only through roots and not overhead, and try watering early in the day as they can use water for their growth and prevent any fungal infections that can cause by waterlogging.
4. Temperature Requirements
They are good summer plants and require pleasant summer temperatures to grow. They may stop producing during extreme heat, but keep them watering every once in a while, and do not let them dry out.
They will resume producing flowers and grow at a reasonable rate when the heat is low and the weather is pleasant.
Grass Diseases And Pests
Bush beans are often considered a healthy plant to grow, but they must be kept away from pets and diseases if you really want to enjoy them.
Animal attacks are one of the most common issues in any region of the country. Deers and other animals like rabbits, raccoons, and even woodchucks can attack your bush bean crop.
The easiest way to prevent them from animal attacks is fencing and barricading the garden area to prevent intrusions.
Aphids are one common insect that all vegetables and plants are fed up with. They feed on the leaves and such up all the juice stunting their growth. They are visible to the naked eye and may look like black dots.
You can eliminate them by spaying soap water or by forcing water with a jet spray or similar practice.
Another attack is made by the bean leaf beetle, which puts a hole in leaves and feeds on the underside of the leaves but can also affect the pods and other parts of the plant.
They are oval-shaped and may appear in yellow-black or red-black-like insects; the only way to treat them is by handpicking them and putting them in a water jar.
The Mexican bean beetle is a common insect that feeds on bush beans. They may appear to you as a ladybug but is not.
They will make the leave look like a spider web or a mere leaf skeleton. You have to differentiate, whether ladybugs or a Mexican bean beetle, and remove them if they are a later one.
Fungal disease is very common in veggies and plants, which bush bean is also a part of. They generally appear when the climate is cool, and you can know by the color of the roots, stems, or leaves as they tend to turn brown, red, or purple and then falls down.
To avoid this, crop rotation is important. Remove if the infection is too vast; Disinfect all your gardening tools, such as pruners and hoes, to prevent spread.
Conclusion
Bush bean is one of the most desired and cultivated plants around the globe. This article sheds light on the requirements and needs of bush bean plants. You will find six good companion bush bean plants which encourage and enhance the healthy growth of bush beans.
Along that, you will also find two of the worst companion plants you should keep away from, bush beans which may stunt and hamper the growth of bush beans.
Keep account of diseases and pests they are prone to, as mentioned above, and grow a healthy, nutritious addition to your dinner table.