Growing sweet corn or peas in Minnesota? Updated fertilizer guidelines now available

By: Dan Kaiser and Carl Rosen, UMN Extension nutrient management specialists

Sweet corn and peas are major crops grown primarily for processing in Minnesota. The state currently ranks second in the U.S. for both sweet corn and pea production with approximately 93,100 acres of sweet corn and 53,400 acres of peas harvested annually.

View the updated fertilizer guidelines:

• Sweet corn
• Peas

For the most part, these crops are grown under rainfed conditions on fine-textured soils in southern and south-central Minnesota, often in rotation with field corn and soybean. Relative to field corn and soybeans, sweet corn and peas have a relatively short growing season because the crops are harvested at an immature stage of growth and then processed for canned or frozen products. Nutrient requirements will therefore differ relative to the other major agronomic crops produced for grain.

The updated guidelines for sweet corn are based on a three-year study funded by the Agricultural Fertilizer Research and Education Council (AFREC) and the Midwest Food Processors Association. The project evaluated nitrogen rate, N timing/sources, hybrid, plant population, and planting date on sweet corn yields.

Additional resources:

• Crop-specific nutrient needs
• Can you take a nitrogen credit following sweet corn?
• Cover Crops Following Sweet Corn and Processing Peas
• Growing sweet corn in home gardens
• Growing peas in home gardens

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