Tradition
No chart mentions this pair.
Sweet corn
Zea mays
Poaceae
Pepper
Capsicum annuum
SolanaceaeCan you plant corn and peppers together?
Yes. Corn and peppers grow well together. A shared bed gave about 44% more harvest than separate beds in one field trial, and corn lured pests away from peppers in a field trial.
Why corn and peppers work together
More harvest from the same bed. In one field trial, a bed with both crops gave about 44% more harvest than the same space split into a sweet corn bed and a pepper bed.
Lures pests away. In a field trial, corn lured pests away from peppers.
Effect of border crops and intercropping on aphid infestation and the associated viral diseases in hot pepper (Capsicum sp.) (Waweru BW · 2021 · Crop Protection)Better soil and nutrient uptake. In a field trial, corn improved the soil or nutrient uptake of peppers.
Effects of pepper-maize intercropping on the physicochemical properties, microbial communities, and metabolites of rhizosphere and bulk soils. (Chen Z · 2024 · Environmental microbiome)Less disease. In a field trial, peppers had less disease next to corn.
What to plant with corn and peppers
Good neighbours of both, best tested first.
CarrotWith corn: 50% more harvestWith peppers: 127% more harvest
RadishWith corn: 40% more harvestWith peppers: 69% more harvest
CilantroWith corn: 42% more harvestWith peppers: Fewer pests
BasilWith corn: Bigger combined harvestWith peppers: Fewer pests
DillWith corn: Recommended by garden charts, not testedWith peppers: Draws in pest-eating insects
What to keep away from corn and peppers
CeleryWith corn: Garden charts advise against it, not tested
KaleWith peppers: Garden charts advise against it, not tested
Brussels sproutsWith peppers: Garden charts advise against it, not tested
The evidence in detail
For readers who want to dig in: every chart entry, study and yield trial behind the answer above, with the numbers.
Tradition, research and yield trials
Research
Good
avoidgood
4 papers found: 3 positive, 0 negative, 1 mixed.
yield / land usetrap cropnutrients / soildisease suppression
auto-classified not reviewed by a person
Yield trial
Good
0.73
0.70
Both crops did about equally well. Partial LER is each crop's share of the yield it would give alone.
1 field trial. Published LERs lean high.
Good neighbours
What happens above and below ground
Each animation illustrates a mechanism a study reported for this pair. Pick a card to focus on it.
Everything at once.
Companion plants for both corn and peppers
Plants that are good neighbours of each. Biggest harvest gain first; each cell links to the evidence for that pair.
| Plant | With corn | With peppers |
|---|---|---|
| Carrot | 50% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for corn and carrots | 127% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for peppers and carrots |
| Radish | 40% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for corn and radishes | 69% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 2 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for peppers and radishes |
| Cilantro | 42% more harvest from the same spaceField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for corn and cilantro | Fewer pests and draws in pest-eating insectsField trial, 2 studies. Charts: not listed.Evidence for peppers and cilantro |
| Basil | Bigger combined harvestField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for corn and basil | Fewer pests and draws in pest-eating insectsMixed results on harvestField trial, 6 studies. Charts: recommend.Evidence for peppers and basil |
| Dill | No trial foundNot tested. Charts: recommend.Evidence for corn and dill | Draws in pest-eating insectsField trial, 1 study. Charts: not listed.Evidence for peppers and dill |
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).
The evidence, with sources
- Mixedyield / land usefield trialauto-classifiedIntraspecific trait variation mediates intercropping productivity under different spatial arrangementsIntraspecific trait variation mediates intercropping productivity under different spatial arrangements (Ye J · 2025 · Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment.)Relevance 94% · effect confidence 49%
- Goodtrap cropfield trialauto-classifiedSweet corn helps PepperEffect of border crops and intercropping on aphid infestation and the associated viral diseases in hot pepper (Capsicum sp.)Effect of border crops and intercropping on aphid infestation and the associated viral diseases in hot pepper (Capsicum sp.) (Waweru BW · 2021 · Crop Protection)Relevance 84% · effect confidence 79%
- Goodnutrients / soilfield trialauto-classifiedSweet corn helps PepperEffects of pepper-maize intercropping on the physicochemical properties, microbial communities, and metabolites of rhizosphere and bulk soils.Effects of pepper-maize intercropping on the physicochemical properties, microbial communities, and metabolites of rhizosphere and bulk soils. (Chen Z · 2024 · Environmental microbiome)Relevance 93% · effect confidence 81%
- Gooddisease suppressionfield trialauto-classifiedSweet corn helps PepperPlant-plant-microbe mechanisms involved in soil-borne disease suppression on a maize and pepper intercropping system.Plant-plant-microbe mechanisms involved in soil-borne disease suppression on a maize and pepper intercropping system. (Yang M · 2014 · PloS one)Relevance 92% · effect confidence 92%
- GoodLER 1.44field trialBangladesh, 2014-2015; Replacement design; median LER 1.44 over 2 treatment(s) · partial LER Sweet corn 0.73, Pepper 0.705
All neighbours of sweet corn and of pepper, or every pair at once in the companion planting chart.
Have you grown corn and peppers together?
Tell other gardeners what happened: spacing, pests, harvest, or ask a question. Reader notes are not checked by us and do not change the verdicts on this page.