Spacing peas, broad beans and runner beans so they crop well
Short answer
Sow broad beans 20 cm apart in rows 45 cm apart, often as a double row. Runner beans go one per cane, 20 cm apart, in double rows 60 cm apart. Dwarf French beans need 15 cm in rows 45 cm apart, and peas about 7 cm apart in rows 60 cm apart, against supports.
Broad bean sowing calendar
From the VegLog crop library. Change the frost dates to match your garden.
Last frost around 20 April, first frost around 31 October.
- Sow indoors
- early February to early March
- Sow outdoors
- late February to late Aprilmid-October to late November
- Plant out
- early March to early April
- Harvest
- mid-May to late July
Broad beans go 20 cm apart in rows 45 cm apart. Runner beans go one plant to a cane, 20 cm apart, in double rows 60 cm apart. Dwarf French beans need 15 cm, in rows 45 cm apart. Peas are sown thickly, about 7 cm apart, in rows 60 cm apart with netting or pea sticks to climb.
The plant spacing calculator shows how many fit in your bed.
Spacing chart
| Crop | Between plants | Between rows | Per 30 cm square | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Broad beans | 20 cm | 45 cm | 4 | 5 cm |
| Runner beans | 20 cm | 60 cm | 4 | 5 cm |
| French beans, dwarf | 15 cm | 45 cm | 9 | 4 cm |
| Peas | 7 cm | 60 cm | 8 | 4 cm |
Double rows
Beans and peas are usually grown in double rows: two rows close together, with a wider path either side. It makes supports simpler and picking easier.
- Broad beans: two rows 20 to 25 cm apart, with the beans staggered, and 45 cm or more to the next pair. Tall varieties lean on each other and on a few strings run along the outside.
- Runner beans: two rows of canes 60 cm apart, crossed and tied at the top, with one cane every 20 cm. Sow or plant one bean at the foot of each cane.
- Peas: a wide drill about 15 cm across with the peas scattered 5 to 7 cm apart, against a single line of netting or pea sticks down the middle.
Climbing French beans
Climbing French beans are spaced like runner beans: one plant per cane, 15 to 20 cm apart, in double rows. A wigwam of six to eight canes about 90 cm across at the base suits a small garden or a large pot.
Why spacing matters with beans
Beans and peas flower and pod best with light and air around them. Plants set too close grow tall and spindly, flower less, and stay damp, which encourages chocolate spot on broad beans and mildew on peas. Runner beans on canes set too close shade each other and become a tangle that’s hard to pick.
In raised beds
Dwarf French beans suit raised beds, nine to a 30 cm square. Broad beans go four to a square. Put runner beans and tall peas on the north side of the bed, so their shade falls on the path, not on your other crops.
Good and bad neighbours
Beans and peas grow well next to carrots, sweetcorn and squash. Keep them away from onions, garlic, shallots and leeks. You can check any combination in the companion planting checker.
For sowing dates, see when to sow broad beans, runner beans and peas.
Questions people also ask
How deep do you plant beans and peas?
Broad beans and runner beans about 5 cm deep, French beans and peas about 4 cm. Big seeds need more soil over them than small ones.
How many runner bean plants for a family?
Ten to twelve plants keep a family of four in beans through the summer, as long as you pick every few days. That's a double row of canes about 1.2 m long.
Should I sow extra beans in case some fail?
Yes. Sow a few extra at the end of the row, or in pots, to fill any gaps where seeds rot or mice dig them up.
Dates set to your own frost dates
VegLog works out sowing and planting times for your town, then reminds you when each job is due.
