Sweet corn
Zea mays
PoaceaeCompanion plants for corn
The best companion plants for corn are beans, peas, peppers, squash and radishes. Celery is best kept away. Of the 22 plants we have data on, 14 are good neighbours, 1 is a bad one and 6 are contested. 19 of these verdicts rest on field trials or research papers; the rest come from traditional companion-planting charts.
- 14 good
- 1 to avoid
- 6 contested
- 19 tested in trials or papers
Neighbours of corn at a glance
Inner rings are backed by trials or papers, outer rings by charts only. Pick a plant to see its sources.
The interactive map needs JavaScript. Every plant on it is listed below with its evidence.
Good companion plants for corn
Biggest harvest gain first, then the plants tested without a yield count. Each row links to the full evidence for the pair.
| Plant | What trials found with corn | Tested by | Garden charts |
|---|---|---|---|
 Spinach |
57% more harvest from the same space | Field trial1 study | Not listed |
 Carrot |
50% more harvest from the same space | Field trial2 studies | Not listed |
 Pepper |
Lures pests away, better soil and nutrient uptake and less disease44% more harvest from the same space | Field trial5 studies | Not listed |
 Bean |
Draws in pest-eating insects, fewer pests and better soil and nutrient uptake43% more harvest from the same space | Field trial22 studies | Recommend |
 Cilantro |
42% more harvest from the same space | Field trial1 study | Not listed |
 Radish |
40% more harvest from the same space | Field trial2 studies | Not listed |
 Sweet potato |
40% more harvest from the same space | Field trial2 studies | Not listed |
 Pea |
Better soil and nutrient uptake40% more harvest from the same space | Field trial11 studies | Recommend |
 Garlic |
33% more harvest from the same space | Field trial2 studies | Not listed |
 Squash & pumpkin |
13% more harvest from the same space | Field trial4 studies | Recommend |
 Cucumber |
Fewer pests | Field trial1 study | Not listed |
 Basil |
Bigger combined harvest | Field trial1 study | Not listed |
Harvest from the same space compares a bed with both crops against the same area split into single-crop beds, counting the harvest of both crops (the land equivalent ratio in yield trials).
Recommended by garden charts, not tested yet
We found no trial or paper on these pairs with corn. They may still work; nobody has measured it.
What not to plant with corn
| Plant | What trials found with corn | Tested by | Garden charts |
|---|---|---|---|
 Celery |
No trial found | Not tested | Advise against |
Contested pairings
The sources disagree, or the charts say one thing and the trials another. Open a pair before you plant it.
| Plant | What trials found with corn | Tested by | Garden charts |
|---|---|---|---|
 Watermelon |
72% more harvest from the same spaceCompetes for light and waterMixed results on competition for light and water | Field trial2 studies | Not listed |
 Potato |
Less disease, a positive effect and better soil and nutrient uptake39% more harvest from the same spaceMixed results on disease | Field trial11 studies | Recommend |
 Cabbage |
15% more harvest from the same space | Field trial4 studies | Not listed |
 Tomato |
Fewer pests13% more harvest from the same spaceMixed results on competition for light and water | Field trial4 studies | Disagree |
 Fava bean |
Bigger combined harvest and better soil and nutrient uptakeCompetes for light and waterMixed results on harvest and pests | Field trial13 studies | Not listed |
 Leek |
Mixed results on pests | Field trial1 study | Not listed |
No measurable effect
| Plant | What trials found with corn | Tested by | Garden charts |
|---|---|---|---|
 Okra |
No effect on harvest | Field trial1 study | Not listed |
Sources
85 sources behind the verdicts on this page. 11 chart entries cite no source and are marked as tradition only.
Show all 85 sources
Intercropping and cover cropping differentially alter maize secondary metabolism and affect herbivore resistance (Jordán JP · 2026 · Journal of Applied Ecology.)
Milpa polyculture enhances productivity through crop complementarity and potential carry over effects (Bustos-Segura C · 2026 · bioRxiv)
Gibberellin-flavonoid crosstalk intensifies symbiotic nitrogen fixation in pea during maize-pea interspecific root interactions. (Sun Y · 2026 · The New phytologist)
Maize‐based intercropping systems in Bangladesh: Exploring the potential of spice and tuber crops in charland areas (Dash PC · 2026 · Agronomy journal.)
Integrating Intercropping, Nitrogen Fertilizer and Azospirillum spp. to Enhance Growth, Yield, and Quality of Sweet Corn-Sweet potato Systems in A Sandy Land (Abdalla RM · 2026 · Research Square)
Quantifying the relative importance of disease-suppressive mechanisms in species mixtures: a case study of late blight in strip-intercropped potato. (Brandon M · 2026 · Journal of experimental botany)
Biomass formation and yield performance in diverse multicrops and their potential for biofuel use in short-growing boreal climate conditions. (Balandaitė J · 2026 · Scientific reports)
Associational resistance in the milpa: herbivore-induced maize volatiles enhance extrafloral nectar-mediated defenses in common bean via shared parasitoids. (Grof-Tisza P · 2025 · The New phytologist)
Photosynthetic response and agronomic performance of maize intercropped with beans using different planting patterns and fertilizers under the ambient conditions of the Colombian Amazon. (Suárez JC · 2025 · PloS one)
Competition for light drives yield components in strip intercropping in the Netherlands (Wang Z · 2025 · Field Crops Research.)
Intraspecific trait variation mediates intercropping productivity under different spatial arrangements (Ye J · 2025 · Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment.)
Disease-suppressive mechanisms in contrasting potato-based strip-cropping systems. (Homulle Z · 2025 · Eur J Plant Pathol.)
Intercropping enhances stable soil organic carbon pool through macroaggregate protection and biochemical recalcitrance interactions (Wang D · 2025 · Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment.)
Intercropping enhances soil multifunctionality by restructuring microbial community and biogeochemical cycles. (Chen L · 2025 · The Science of the total environment)
Maize/potato intercropping improvs aggregate stability and AMF community diversity in red soil of southern China (Lu M · 2025 · Research Square)
Interaction Between Maize, Intercrops and Weeds in Continuing Relay Cropping System (Švereikaitė A · 2025 · Preprints.org)
Genotype Combinations Drive Variability in the Microbiome Configuration of the Rhizosphere of Maize/Bean Intercropping System. (Lanzavecchia G · 2024 · International journal of molecular sciences)
'The Three Sisters' (maize/bean/squash) polyculture promotes the direct and indirect defences of maize against herbivores (Liao H · 2024 · European Journal of Agronomy.)
A comparative analysis of the performance of common cropping systems used in the production of maize and selected grain legumes in Cameroon (Nkongho · 2024)
Effects of pepper-maize intercropping on the physicochemical properties, microbial communities, and metabolites of rhizosphere and bulk soils. (Chen Z · 2024 · Environmental microbiome)
The Mesoamerican milpa agroecosystem fosters greater arthropod diversity compared to monocultures (Grof-Tisza P · 2024 · Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment.)
Co-cultivation of sweet basil (Ocimum basilicum L.) with food crops for efficient resource utilization and increasing the farm profits (Kaur P · 2024 · Industrial Crops & Products.)
The potential of strip cropping to suppress potato late blight (Homulle Z · 2024 · Field Crops Research.)
Intercropping maize (Zea mays L.) and field beans (Vicia faba L.) for forage, increases protein production. (Sowiński J. · 2024 · Scientific reports)
Competition for light and nitrogen with an earlier-sown species negatively affects leaf traits and leaf photosynthetic capacity of maize in relay intercropping (Dong B · 2024 · European Journal of Agronomy.)
Intercropping Maize-Faba Bean Reduced Yield and Economic Losses Caused by <i>Busseola fusca</i> (Fuller) in Semiarid Area. (Gidey T · 2024 · Scientifica)
Yield loss of inferior crop species and its physiological mechanism in a semiarid cereal-legume intercropping system (Wang W · 2024 · European Journal of Agronomy.)
Intercropping Maize with Faba Bean Improves Yield, Income, and Soil Fertility in Semiarid Environment. (Gidey T · 2024 · Scientifica)
Prospects of maize-faba bean intercropping in monocropping highlands of Ethiopia. (Dinsa GF · 2024 · agriRxiv)
Phosphorus solubilizing bacteria rather than arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi drive maize/faba bean intercropping advantages (Liu Y · 2024 · Research Square)
Simulation of tomato and corn growth using a modified intercropping model considering radiation interception in two-dimensional space and air temperature stress (Chen N · 2024 · European Journal of Agronomy.)
Optimizing row combinations of an intercrop of maize with cabbage (Sun D · 2024 · European Journal of Agronomy.)
Temporal complementarity drives species combinability in strip intercropping in the Netherlands (Wang Z · 2023 · Field Crops Research.)
Competition-recovery and overyielding of maize in intercropping depend on species temporal complementarity and nitrogen supply (Zhao · 2023)
Long-term maize and pea intercropping improved subsoil carbon storage while reduced greenhouse gas emissions (Yang · 2023)
Effects of planting density and variety on productivity of maize-faba bean intercropping system. (Nurgi N · 2023 · Heliyon)
Effect of spatial arrangement of faba bean variety intercropping with maize on yield and yield components of the crops (Nurgi N · 2023 · Heliyon)
Effect of combining organic manure and inorganic fertilisers on maize-bush bean intercropping (Ndengu · 2022)
Optimizing maize-bean cropping systems for sustainable intensification in southern ethiopia (Yimer · 2022)
Delayed application of N fertilizer mitigates the carbon emissions of pea/maize intercropping via altering soil microbial diversity. (Xu K · 2022 · Frontiers in microbiology)
[Barrier effect against Bemisia tabaci and the control of tomato yellow leaf curl virus in a tomato-maize intercropping system]. (Wei PY · 2022 · Ying yong sheng tai xue bao = The journal of applied ecology)
Effect of border crops and intercropping on aphid infestation and the associated viral diseases in hot pepper (Capsicum sp.) (Waweru BW · 2021 · Crop Protection)
Strip width ratio expansion with lowered N fertilizer rate enhances N complementary use between intercropped pea and maize. (Hu F · 2020 · Scientific reports)
Evaluating soil nitrate dynamics in an intercropping dripped ecosystem using HYDRUS-2D. (Chen N · 2020 · The Science of the total environment)
The Compromise of Intercropping: Biological Pest Control Versus Competition by Crop Species (Santillano-C??zares J · 2019 · Southwestern Entomologist)
Maize and potato intercropping: A technology to increase productivity and profitability in tigray (Kidane · 2017)
Plant growth patterns in a tripartite strip relay intercrop are shaped by asymmetric aboveground competition (Huang C · 2017 · Field Crops Research.)
The intercropping common bean with maize improves the rhizobial efficiency, resource use and grain yield under low phosphorus availability (Latati · 2016)
Spring- and Fall-Seeded Radish Cover-Crop Effects on Weed Management in Corn (Gieske MF · 2016 · Weed Technology)
Root exudates drive interspecific facilitation by enhancing nodulation and N2 fixation. (Li B · 2016 · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America)
Response of a maize or dry bean intercrop to maize density and dry bean arrangement under rainfed conditions (Nthabiseng · 2015)
As the level of crop productivity increases: Is there a role for intercropping in smallholder agriculture (Temesgen · 2015)
Baby Corn-Legumes Intercropping Systems: I. Yields, Resource Utilization Efficiency, and Soil Health (Sharma · 2015)
Productivity of intercropping maize (Zea mays L.) and pumpkins (Cucurbita maxima Duch.) under conventional vs. conservation farming system. (Momirović · 2015)
Photosynthetically active radiation determining yields for an intercrop of maize with cabbage (Wang Q · 2015 · European Journal of Agronomy.)
Productivity, weed dynamics, nutrient mining, and monetary advantage of maize-legume intercropping in the eastern himalayan region of india (Choudhary · 2014)
Plant-plant-microbe mechanisms involved in soil-borne disease suppression on a maize and pepper intercropping system. (Yang M · 2014 · PloS one)
Yield and nutrient uptake of winter maize (Zea mays) with vegetable intercropping (Choudhary · 2014)
Maize-Bean Intercrop Weed Suppression and Profitability in Southern Ethiopia (Workayehu · 2011)
Fusarium crown and root rot of tomato in Florida (Zhang · 2011 · [[University of Florida]] Institute of Agricultural Sciences)
Companion planting: Myth or reality? (2010 · Utah Pests News)
Effect of Intercropping of Zea Maize with Potato Solanum tuberosum, L. on Potato Growth and on the Productivity and Land Equivalent Ratio of Potato and Zea Maize (Al-Dalain · 2009)
Studies on Maize-Vegetable Intercropping Systems (Hugar · 2008)
Optimum plant population for maize-bean intercropping system in the Brazilian semi-arid region (Morgado · 2008)
Effects of Strip Intercropping and Organic Farming Systems on Quantity and Quality of Maize Yield in a Mediterranean Region of Turkey (Sermenli T · 2007 · Journal of sustainable agriculture)
The Effects of Intercropping Sowing Systems with Dry Bean and Maize on Yield and Some Yield Components (Çiftçi · 2006)
Effects of plant population and nitrogen fertilizer on yield and efficiency of maize-bean intercropping (Morgado · 2003)
[Temporal and spatial distribution characteristics of the crop root in intercropping system]. (Zhang E · 2003 · Ying yong sheng tai xue bao = The journal of applied ecology)
The effect of planting combinations and weeding on the growth and yield of component crops of maize/bean and maize/pumpkin intercrops (Tembakazi Silwana · 2002)
Competitive ability of maize and common bean (phaseolus-vulgaris) cultivars intercropped in different environments (Rezende · 1994)
Intercropping carrot and sweetcorn in a multiple cropping system (Ogbuehi · 1987)
Effects of plant diversity and time of colonization on an herbivore-plant interaction. (Bach CE. · 1979 · Oecologia)
Companion Plants (Alabama Cooperative Extension System)
What grows well with your corn?
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