Abstract: Tea trees are widely planted worldwide, and the survival rate of young tea trees is relatively low owing to the influence of the ecological environment and varietal differences. Artificial sunshade net coverage increased the survival rate of young tea trees. Sunshade nets are prone to environmental pollution; therefore, maize, suitable for ecological shading, has come into the public view. Maize is suitable intercropping plant because of its wide planting range, high yield, multiple uses, and ability to improve nutrient utilization and reduce pests and diseases. To screen a maize variety for intercropping maize shading modes on young tea trees and investigate the impact of intercropping on the soil and growth of young tea trees, a field experiment was conducted with three maize varieties (T162, T231, and T228) intercropped with young tea trees, and a monoculture of young tea trees as the control (CK), comprising four treatments. The analysis focused on the basic physical and chemical properties of the soil, biomass, and shading effects of maize and the growth and incidence of pests and diseases in young tea trees. The results indicated the following: 1) The maize variety ‘Guidan 162’ demonstrated better growth performance when intercropped with young tea trees, with superior plant height, wider plant width, heavier bract weight, shade effect and yield compared to other treatments. Thus, ‘Guidan 162’ is a suitable maize variety for young tea tree shade intercropping. 2) Intercropping maize with young tea trees improved soil moisture content and nutrient availability while reducing soil electrical conductivity and temperature, compared to the tea monoculture. 3) The survival rate of young tea trees in the three intercropped maize varieties increased by 9.65%–16.67% compared to CK, and the incidence of pests and diseases decreased by 45.49%–47.28%. Among the intercropping treatments, T231 showed the highest survival rate, whereas T162 showed the lowest incidence of pests and diseases. Additionally, the heights of young tea trees in the T228 and T162 treatments were 20.76% and 18.88% higher than those in the CK treatment, respectively. In conclusion, in the initial stage of a new tea plantation, intercropping maize as a shading crop can effectively reduce light intensity on the tea plant canopy under hot climatic conditions, mitigating the risk of sunburn and improving survival rates. Moreover, it enhances soil physicochemical properties and nutrient availability. These findings provide a theoretical basis for selecting appropriate crops for intercropping models in young tea plantations.