The Best Fava Bean Companion Plants For A Thriving Fall Garden

Fava beans are often planted in the fall as a cover crop to help replenish the soil's nitrogen levels, especially after a heavy feeding crop has been harvested. In USDA hardy zones 7 and above, fava beans are a good cold-hardy choice that will bring a lot of benefits to your garden soil in preparation for next year's crops. Since the USDA updated its plant hardiness zone map in 2023, your growing zone may have changed, so double-check the current map. If you are a fan of companion planting and how it benefits your garden, there are several great plant choices you can pair with your fava beans to ensure a healthy, thriving fall garden.

Pairing fava beans with compatible plants offers benefits such as attracting beneficial insects like butterflies, ladybugs, and bees, while also repelling harmful insects.  This natural pest control is accomplished by emitting scents that the harmful insects dislike, making it more likely they will move on from your beans. Other benefits include improved flavor, growth, and, depending on the companion, supporting other plants. 

Planting corn, squash, and fava beans together represents companion planting at its finest. These three plants together are known as the Three Sisters — an indigenous American companion planting tradition that dates back as far as the 1600s. Native American tribes planted these three together because they were like inseparable sisters in how they helped each other. Corn, the older sister, provides support; beans, the giving sister, add important nitrogen to the soil; and squash, the third sister, provides shade and protection while the bean vines climb the corn stalks.

Together, these three plants work to deter harmful pests, suppress weeds, improve soil health, and support one another. The large leaves of the squash plants protect the trio by creating a live mulch that prevents weeds and keeps the soil cool and moist. The prickly texture of the squash leaves is also a deterrent to garden pests like raccoons and rabbits that avoid stepping on them. As the legend goes, the Native Americans considered these three plants a gift from the gods that should always be planted together, eaten together, and celebrated together as well.

Carrots are another excellent companion for fava beans. Since carrots prefer cooler weather, it is a good fall crop to pair with your beans for a nice thriving fall garden. Fava beans add nitrogen to the soil, which improves it for the carrots, while carrots attract ladybugs, which are predators of aphids, a common pest of favas. Carrots are very helpful in loosening the soil, which also benefits the fava beans. Carrots and favas don't compete for nutrients since their needs differ.

Other good companions for fava beans include potatoes, cucumbers, strawberries, and some flowering plants like petunias and nasturtiums. Choosing any of these will create a mutually beneficial relationship between the fava beans and whatever companion plants you prefer. Not all plants make good companions for fava beans, though. Avoid planting fava beans with garlic, onions, leeks, or peas, since they compete for the same nutrients and can weaken the beans.