Guide to Sweet Corn Production in Oklahoma

High quality sweet corn is a very popular vegetable. Small-scale production can be sold directly from the farm or at roadside stands, farmer’s markets or local stores. Large-scale production requires a considerable investment in harvesting equipment and packing and hydrocooling facilities to prepare shipments for terminal markets or supermarket distribution centers. Sweet corn is a warm season crop, easily killed by frost. It is subject to serious injury if exposed to prolonged cool temperatures of several degrees above freezing. Growing conditions in central Oklahoma provide about a six-week harvest period beginning in early June and ending in mid-July. High temperatures, which normally occur in early July, interfere with pollination and prevent season-long production. Corn earworm is a serious insect pest, and sweet corn production should not be attempted without an adequate insecticide spray program during the silking to harvest stages of crop development. Fall production is possible, however an intense insect control program throughout crop development is necessary. Use of varieties with genetic resistance to corn earworm is especially important if fall production is attempted. A good yield of sweet corn in Oklahoma is 1,000 dozen ears (200 bu) per acre.