🌾 Sorghum

Sorghum bicolor

grains annual Poaceae

☀️ Sun

full sun

💧 Water

low to moderate (highly drought-tolerant)

🗺️ Zones

4-11 (as annual)

🧪 Soil pH

5.5-7.5

🪴 Soil Type

loamy, sandy, clay (tolerates wide range)

🚿 Drainage

well-drained

📏 Spacing

6-12 inches (grain), 4-6 inches (forage)

📐 Height

3-15 feet (depending on variety and purpose)

⏱️ Maturity

90-130 days (grain), 55-75 days (forage/silage)

Key:🤝 Grows well together❌ Keep apart☀️ Sun needs💧 Water🗺️ Hardiness zone

🤝 Companions (11)

🤝 Bean

Beans fix nitrogen for sorghum

🤝 Cowpea

Cowpeas fix nitrogen for sorghum and their vining growth suppresses weeds; a traditional African intercropping system that improves total yield

🤝 Guar (Cluster Bean)

Guar is extremely drought-tolerant, fixing nitrogen in the same arid conditions as sorghum; its gum is a valuable secondary cash crop.

🤝 Lablab (Hyacinth Bean)

Lablab is a drought-tolerant climbing legume using sorghum stalks as support; this traditional African system fixes nitrogen while maximizing space.

🤝 Mung Bean

Mung beans mature quickly and fix nitrogen for sorghum; can be intercropped or grown in short rotation to boost fertility.

🤝 Okra

Okra and sorghum share heat and drought tolerance; okra's upright growth complements sorghum's tall stalks in summer polycultures.

🤝 Peanut

Peanuts fix nitrogen with a low, spreading habit acting as living mulch beneath sorghum; both thrive in hot, sandy soils with good drainage.

🤝 Pigeon Pea

Pigeon pea fixes nitrogen, its deep taproot accesses different soil layers, and it provides a long-term protein crop between sorghum seasons

🤝 Sesame

Sesame's upright habit and deep taproot reach different soil layers than sorghum; both are heat-tolerant semi-arid intercrop partners.

🤝 Sunn Hemp

Attracts beneficial insects and pollinators

🤝 Sweet Potato

Sweet potatoes serve as living mulch under taller sorghum, suppressing weeds and conserving soil moisture while producing an additional crop

⚠️ Keep Apart (6)

⚠️ Corn (Maize)

Corn and sorghum share corn earworms, stem borers, and fungal diseases; planting together amplifies pest and disease pressure.

⚠️ Johnsongrass

Johnsongrass is a wild Sorghum relative crossing with cultivated sorghum, creating aggressive weed hybrids; harbors pests and diseases year-round.

⚠️ Rice

Shared susceptibility to stem borers, rust, and fungal diseases; rotational proximity or intercropping increases disease pressure

⚠️ Sunflower

Both are heavy feeders that deplete soil nutrients; their deep root systems compete aggressively, reducing yields for both crops

⚠️ Walnut (Black)

Juglone toxicity inhibits sorghum root development and seedling vigor; sorghum should not be planted near black walnut trees

⚠️ Wheat

Sorghum and wheat share fusarium head blight and rust pathogens; close planting increases disease carryover.

📝 Growing Notes

Sorghum is a C4 grass with exceptional heat and drought tolerance , it can go dormant during drought and resume growth when moisture returns, earning it the nickname 'the camel of crops.' It thrives where corn would fail. Sorghum is classified by use: grain sorghum (milo), sweet sorghum (for syrup/biofuel), forage sorghum (livestock), and broomcorn (for brooms). Some varieties contain dhurrin, a cyanogenic compound that can be toxic to livestock if plants are stressed or frosted. Sorghum is naturally gluten-free and increasingly used in gluten-free baking and brewing (sorghum beer). The plant produces allelopathic root exudates that suppress weeds.

🛒 Buy Seeds & Plants

Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds Johnny's Selected Seeds Botanical Interests True Leaf Market Burpee Territorial Seed Company

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