I am going to try to give some of my insight for good plant combinations.  I decided to move my strawberry plants to one long raised bed this year and they are doing great! Strawberries definitely like a boost of nitrogen so I thought about planting either peas or beans in the bed with them.  Since we love strawberries, I wanted a lot of space for the strawberries, so I thought that peas or beans that grow up a pole would be a great choice.  I hate it when I am right! Remember if you want to free up space, go vertical as much as you can.
Now back to why I decided to go with peas instead of beans. Strawberries start to turn green in the early spring and peas like to be planted in the early spring which makes them very good companions. Also, beans prefer to be planted in warmer weather. While I don’t think beans would have been a bad choice, this bed will be complete and ready for produce before summer hits.
Keep in mind that strawberries are perennials and are very hardy. For the last three years, I’ve been moving them until I found their forever home last fall. Peas and beans are annuals that need to be planted each growing season.  It is much easier to install the trellis for the peas before the strawberries completely perk up.
Also, the seeds for the peas and the fruit of the strawberries need protection from the birds so both should be draped with netting.
If you take a look at the picture above, it looks like peas and strawberries make great companions!
