To explore the optimal model of border strip fertilization for summer maize, the distribution and variation of soil water and nitrate nitrogen in the field with different methods (fertigation and broadcast fertigation), timing and rates of fertilization were investigated. Results showed that 2 days after applying water and fertilizer, the spatial distribution variability of soil water was far less than that of soil nitrate nitrogen, and increasing the inflow rate appropriately could improve the distribution uniformity of soil moisture along length direction. The change of the storage efficiency of soil nitrate nitrogen in the effective root zone of summer maize was not obvious and it was same to soil moisture. Under the same condition of inflow rate, the distribution uniformity of soil nitrate nitrogen along length direction of summer maize with fertigation (between 86.1% and 96.9%) were higher than that with broadcast fertilization (between 89.3% and 89.7%). The border strip fertilization with the inflow rate of 4 L/(s·m) and with applying fertilizer as water advanced at 33% of the border length could produce high proportion of soil water and nitrogen accumulation in the effective root zone and provide optimal distribution uniformity along length direction, then formed a spatial homogeneity distribution of soil water and nitrate nitrogen contribution which was beneficial to crop absorption.