Introduction:  I was planting sunchokes (Helianthus tuberosus, also known as Jerusalem artichokes) in a new garden area and I thought that I might as well do a companion planting experiment. So, once the sunchokes had grown to be 10-20cm tall, I planted "Blue Lake" Pole beans (1 bean per plant in half the plot).

Hypothesis: Given that pole beans need something to climb on, the sunchoke stalks should provide that, hence increasing the pole beans' yield. Given that beans are nitrogen fixers, interplanting of them should increase the sunchokes' yield.

Materials:

-3 equal plots of garden area (5mX5m was used).

-Sunchokes to fill 2 of the areas.

-Pole bean seeds to fill 2 of the areas.

-Shovels, watering cans, etc.

Method:

1.Plant 2 plots with Sunchokes.

2. Wait 2 weeks and plant beans in empty plot and in one of the sunchoke plots (per directions on package in empty plot and 1 per plant in sunchoke plot.)

3.Keep well watered until beans start to flower, then keep watering, but less.

4. Take detailed notes as to the development of each plot (ie. growth speeds etc.).

5. Pick beans until they finish their season. Take detailed notes of average size, total production in each plot etc.

6. When tops of sunchokes die down, harvest them and take note of size, total production in each plot.

Results:  Pole beans in center of sunchoke/bean plot did not bear many beans, which I posit to be due to lack of light. However, beans at the edges of sunchoke/bean bore slightly less than the bean only plot which I posit to be because pole beans are reputed not to like to be planted near sunflower family plants, a fact I only found out after starting the experiment. Sunchokes in bean/sunchoke plot bore about twice as much as those in the sunchoke only plot, even though the sunchoke/bean plot had gone into poorer grade of soil with more rocks.

Conclusion:  The beans increased the sunchoke yield, which I posit to be due to the increased available nitrogen. However, the beans in the sunchoke/bean plot did not yield as well, so to be an effective companion planting, the sunchokes would have to be in rows. A good use  for this combination might be on both sides of a bed of lettuce to protect the lettuce against the summer sun; then the beans and sunchokes would likely have good benefit from this and so would lettuce.