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Advise for a newbie please :What can I plant under runner beans?

newgreennewgreen Posts: 6

I am new to vegetable growing. I have grown some runner bean plants from seeds from last year. I wanted to know what plants can grow at the base of these? Would I be able to plant some courgettes?

thanks in advance

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  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,150

    Runners get very leafy and need all the food theycan get, I wouldn't plant anything under them. Courgettes get even more leafy and won't want to be under anything. It still amazes me how big everything grows in a month or two.



    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • newgreennewgreen Posts: 6

    thank you - that is very helpful

  • figratfigrat Posts: 1,619

    There is a combination of planting used by Natve Americans called the Three Sisters. The sisters are sweetcorn, climbing beans and cucurbits (squash, courgette, cucumber, melon etc.)  The beans climb up the sweetcorn, and the squash or whatever acts as a living mulch.

    Never tried it myself, but this year I'm going to try courgettes in a raised bed, backed by climbing beans. Not sure about the sweetcorn yet.

    If you google Three Sisters, you will find more detailed information

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