Steve Yoder
I'm Steve, a 30-something urban gardener fascinated by companion planting research. Growing up surrounded by greenery sparked my passion for gardening early on. I enjoy transforming my small backyard, experimenting with companion planting techniques and eco-friendly practices. Sustainability matters—I advocate for native plants and composting.
Table of Content
One of the most widely grown crops in North America is corn, yet it may be challenging to cultivate. Corn thrives best in the south or southwest because it requires plenty of sunshine and warm soil. For corn to flourish, specific companion plants must be planted close by. In this article, we have prepared a list of the best corn companion plants. We will share our ideas and tips for the best possible growth in your garden. Let’s start the journey of the best corn companion plants!
Best Corn Companion Plants
Beans as Corn Companion Plants
We start our list of the best corn companion plants with beans. Beans are a good companion1 to corn. They fix nitrogen in the soil, which helps corn grow better. Also plant beans between rows of corn or interplanted with it, so they serve as a useful trap crop for pests that might otherwise eat up your corn. Beans are one of the friendliest plants to have in your garden. They are amazing companion plants for many other members of your garden.
To give you more information about this amazing plant and its companion plants, we have prepared an article. Check it out in the link below:
Borage with Corn
The next member of the best corn companion plants is borage. Borage is a flower that deters maize pests while luring beneficial insects that eat tomato and cabbage worms. This means borage protects your corn plants only by existing. Borage is a popular plant in gardens because of its lovely blossoms and decorative elements. The seeds may be converted into a therapeutic oil, and they can also be used as a natural coloring. What great plant borage is!
Cucumbers as Corn Companions
Corn grows well with cucumbers as a companion plant. They’re a fantastic option2 if you’re looking to draw beneficial insects to your garden. These help to prevent pests and illnesses and protect your corn plants. Cucumbers are a great choice for growing with maize! The reason is that they have characteristics that guard them against root rot and other soil-borne illnesses. Cucumbers are very friendly plants and share nutrients with their neighbors. Therefore, it has many other companion plants!
For more information about cucumber companion plants check out the article below:
Dill & Corn
We continue our list of the best corn companion plants with dill. The fragrant blossoms of the delicious herb dill draw wasps. These little parasitic wasps get rid of a lot of plant pests, such as maize earworms, cutworms, and aphids. This means dill also has a protective function for many members of your garden. If you want your dill to blossom and produce blooms that draw helpful insects for pollination, plant it early. Since dill bolts in warm weather, this will be the right season for it. To prevent obstructing sunlight, wait to plant your dill until the corn grows around four inches tall. After that nothing else stands in front of this companionship.
To learn more about dill and its fantastic function as a companion plant, check out our article about the best dill companion plants:
Peas as Corn Companion Plants
Since peas are a kind of legume, they create nitrogen that is good for maize plants. They should be planted closely together and like a lot of water. Peas should ideally be planted after the corn has sprouted. If you’re already growing both in rows, put them in between. That’s not a problem. Don’t feel restricted to growing peas only with your favorite veggie. They may also be grown alone or with other vegetables like squash and beans. Perfect! We won another member for our list of the best corn companion plants!
If you want to learn more about this amazing plant, just follow the link below for the best peas companion plants:
Potatoes with Corn
We continue our journey of the best corn companion plants with potatoes. Corn plants act as windbreaks, protecting the potato plants from potential damage caused by strong gusts. Furthermore, corn and potatoes have different nutrient requirements, minimizing competition for soil resources. Due to their ability to maintain good soil, potatoes are excellent companion plants for corn. Potatoes not only improve the soil’s fertility by adding organic matter, but they also provide food for beneficial insects. These are insects like ladybugs and lacewings that keep pests like aphids and earwigs under check.
We also prepared a list of best companions for potatoes:
Squash next to Corn
Squash is our next member of the best corn companion plants list! Raccoons and other animals are kept away by the prickly vines on them. Corn grows best on cold, wet ground, which is maintained by vines that cover the ground, provide shade, and inhibit weed development. In turn, the tall corn stalks provide support for the vining squash, allowing them to climb and sprawl without occupying additional space. The squash leaves also act as a living mulch, shading the soil and conserving moisture for both crops. So, squash does everything to prepare the best possible environment for the best possible growth of your corn plants!
Since Squash is such a friendly and helpful plant, it has many other companions too! Check them out:
Sunflowers as Corn Companions
We finish our list of the best corn companion plants with sunflowers! Sunflowers are the best choice to increase the number of pollinators and beneficial insects in your yard. Bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects are drawn to sunflowers, which can help deter pests. In warmer conditions, they’ll also give maize plants shade. Sunflowers can also be used as a windbreak or living fence around the corn beds if your garden is large enough and there are no deer issues.
Furthermore, sunflowers have deep root systems that help improve soil structure and nutrient cycling, benefiting corn plants that have shallower roots. Sunflowers also add organic matter to the soil when they decompose, enriching its fertility. By interplanting sunflowers and corn, you actively promote a harmonious garden ecosystem, enhancing pollination and protection.
For more information about sunflower companion plants:
What NOT to Grow as Corn Companion Plants
Eggplant
The first bad corn companion plants member is eggplant. The tomato hornworm preys on both corn and eggplant, and their co-planting can increase the pest population. This will also affect all the other crops in your garden and end up in a disaster. Corn, being a heavy feeder, requires abundant nitrogen, while eggplants thrive in a more balanced nutrient environment. This disparity in nutrient requirements leads to intense competition for limited resources, resulting in stunted growth and decreased yields for both crops. So, make sure you have huge space between these two plants in your garden because eggplant will never be a member of the best corn companion plants!
Fennel
We continue with fennel as a member of the bad corn companion plants. Don’t grow fennel with corn since it doesn’t coexist well with many other vegetable garden plants. Even while it can draw in helpful insects, most other plants can be stunted or even killed by it. This will function as a barrier to the growth of the majority of your plants.
Furthermore, fennel is tall and feathery. It’s foliage overshadows and inhibits the growth of neighboring plants, including corn. The height and dense canopy of fennel casts shade on the corn, depriving it of the necessary sunlight for proper development and reducing its overall productivity.
Tomato
The last bad corn companion is tomato. The corn earworm and tomato hornworm both target maize and tomatoes and if grown together, they can draw even more of these pests. Furthermore, the tall stature of corn can cast shade on the tomato plants, reducing their access to sunlight and hindering their fruiting potential. Additionally, because maize and tomatoes are both big feeders, there will be competition between them for soil minerals.
Besides these negative aspects regarding their growth with corn, we have some great news for you! We also prepared lists of the best companion plants for all of them. Here are the articles:
References
- Félix-Medina, J. V., Montes-Ávila, J., Reyes-Moreno, C., Perales-Sánchez, J. X. K., Gómez-Favela, M. A., Aguilar-Palazuelos, E., & Gutiérrez-Dorado, R. (2020). Second-generation snacks with high nutritional and antioxidant value produced by an optimized extrusion process from corn/common bean flours mixtures. Lwt, 124, 109172.
- Kumar, R., Ghoshal, G., & Goyal, M. (2021). Biodegradable composite films/coatings of modified corn starch/gelatin for shelf life improvement of cucumber. Journal of Food Science and Technology, 58(4), 1227-1237.