Okiehobo,

Watermelons (and, in fact, all melons) are considered good companion plants for corn. The one thing you have to remember is that you will have to be very careful when harvesting the corn to ensure that you don't step on and break your watermelon vines.

Normally, I interplant my corn mostly with winter squash and pumpkins, but I do plant my cantaloupes, muskmelons, and watermelons on the western and southern edges of the corn/squash/bean planting. I leave about 5' between my "Three Sisters" bed and the row of melons. Siting them in this way allows the melons to get lots of sunshine. If you are only growing melons and not squash or pumpkins with your corn, you wouldn't have to leave that 5' of empty space--I just leave it so the pumpkins don't overwhelm the melons.

As for as the right melon variety, pretty much any watermelon I've grown has done well here. If you want a smaller melon, Blacktail Mountain is the best-flavored by far in our garden and it is a very early melon--about 70 days. You'll probably have to order it online--I've never seen it in stores.

Other melon varieties that produce very flavorful small melons include Asahi Miyako and Janosik (both from Seeds From Italy), Sugar Baby, Bush Sugar Baby and Yellow Doll. Larger melons that have done well here for us (but not as well as the ones listed above) include Ali Baba, Orangeglo, Moon and Stars, Chelsea, Chris Cross, and Royal Golden.

When I interplant pumpkins and winter squash with sweet corn, I put 80% of the squash plants around the outer permimeter of the corn. I only put about 20% of the squash plants right in the middle of the corn patch. I would suggest you do the same with your watermelons. The reason is that a thick corn patch can shade the squash foiage so much that the plants grow a bit more slowly and are somewhat slower to produce. Since watermelons have smaller leaves than pumpkins and winter squash, it will be even more important to plant them on the perimeter of the corn so they will get enough sun when the sun plants get thicker and taller. For the plants I sow within the rows of corn, I deliberately leave "bare" spots in the rows of corn so that I have empty places to plant the young squash plants. Even when you plant your melons on the perimeters of your corn patch, the melons will creep and crawl throughout the corn.

The entire Mirai line of corn have a reputation for having very good flavor, but they aren't as special as the hype would have you believe. Nowadays, breeders have created many supersweet corns that have amazing flavor and Mirai is simply one of those--no better in flavor than a hundred or two hundred or more other supersweet and synergystic types.

One thing about supersweet corns is that everyone who tastes their "first" supersweet variety (as opposed to standard sweet corn) is absolutely, positively convinced that whatever particular variety they have is THE best corn on earth. In reality, though, all supersweet and synergystic corn varieties have very good to outstanding flavor if you like the extra sweet or super sweet flavor. If you prefer a corn that is not overly sweet and has real, "old-fashioned corn flavor", you would want to plant an heirloom variety, and not a modern supersweet or synergystic hybrid.

When OSU trialed a lot of corn varieties in 2007, Mirai was found to have very good flavor, but other than that, it did not necessarily grow or produce better than, or as well as, other corn varieties tested. However, I think it will grow just fine for you. Like all corns, it is prone to lodging and, if that occurs, you'll need to try to correct the lodging as soon as you can after it occurs. OSU made specific mention in the report on their corn trials that lodging probably had reduced their Mirai yield.

Mirai was developed in Illinois and is better suited to their type of weather than ours. It is grown commercially in Japan but not here and there is a very specific reason for that. In the USA, commercial corn growers want corn plants that can be harvested by machines and Mirai doesn't--it needs to be hand-harvested. In Japan, corn is more often grown in smaller plots and the Japanese hand-harvest it and they simply love Mirai there.

Hope this info helps.

Dawn

Dawn have you ever planted the three sister method? I am going to try it this year some and just corn and melon on some and see what does better here - I am guessing if not planted to thick melons like a little shade in our heat?

I always plant at least two sisters....corn and winter squash/pumpkins. I'll do the third sister--pole beans--if there is enough moisture. Last year I only did two sisters because we were in the midst of a drought that continues to this day (about 23" of rain last year, and our average annual rainfall is supposed to be in the 36"-38" range). So, if the drought continues (and so far it has, with our rainfall this year about 40% of normal) I'll just do the two sisters again and grow bush beans in a separate area. Because winter squash/pumpkins guzzle water, my beans do better away from them in a dry year.

I always plant melons in full sun to the extent that I can. That is one reason they are to the west and south of the Three Sisters (LOL, or Two Sisters) bed--so they can get as much sun as possible. Watermelons are true sun lovers--they love the heat and they love the sunshine, so you don't have to get them any shade.

Melons are prone to several diseases including downey mildew that are encouraged by moist soil, moist foliage and poor air flow so you should try to grow them in very well-drained soil and grow them where they have good air flow.

If you've never grown watermelons before, you should know that excess fertilizer causes white heart (discolored flesh and poor flavor) and excess moisture causes a similar discoloration and lack of flavor, so don't overfeed and don't overwater.

I grow my melons in sandy-clayey soil amended with lots of compost. If you are going to use a chemical pelletized fertilizer, all you need to apply is about 1 t. per square foot of a 10-20-10 or use an organic fertilizer like Espoma Vegetable-Tone at the rate stated on the package.

Hi Dawn.
I have planted my corn in plastic using plasti-culture. I have two rows in one 3 1/2 to 4 ft wide plastic covered raised bed. I want to plant melons in the middle of the corn. Do I need to cut down the corn stalks every 3ft so the melon plants get more sun when I plant them. (the drip line is in the middle of the plastic) Also when is the best time to plant the melons with the corn? Does the corn need to be 6 inches tall first or what is your opinion?
I live here in the great state of Oklahoma.
Thank you

Hi Dawn.
I have planted my corn in plastic using plasti-culture. I have two rows in one 3 1/2 to 4 ft wide plastic covered raised bed. I want to plant melons in the middle of the corn. Do I need to cut down the corn stalks every 3ft so the melon plants get more sun when I plant them. (the drip line is in the middle of the plastic) Also when is the best time to plant the melons with the corn? Does the corn need to be 6 inches tall first or what is your opinion?
I live here in the great state of Oklahoma.
Thank you