- Cowpeas love heat and cannot tolerate cold.
- Soak seeds overnight and direct sow in a warm, sunny location when soil has warmed to at least 65 degrees.
- Ideal germination temperature is 75-95 F.
- Plant seeds ½ to 1 inch deep.
- Seeds should be thinned to 4-6 inches apart. .
How to grow cowpeas from seeds?
The only way to propagate cowpeas is by seeds, and to get these, all you have to do is pop a few peas in an airtight container before cooking the rest. You can harvest seeds that you plan to eat anytime they are ripe enough, but seeds for growing should remain in the pod until it has dried out on the plant.
What is a cowpea plant?
Cowpeas ( Vigna unguiculata) are an annual legume that can be grown in a wide range of climates. Cowpeas are relatively easy to grow, and they are tolerant of poor soils and drought conditions. These are some of the most drought-resistant plants around and they are also suitable for long term storage.
Do cowpeas need nutrients to grow?
Because they grow so well outdoors and do not like to be transplanted, cowpeas are usually direct-seeded into the garden. The plant doesn't have any stringent soil requirements, so it usually isn't necessary to add nutrients, particularly nitrogen, which it fixes into the soil itself.
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Do cowpeas climb?
Different varieties of cowpeas have different growing habits. Some cowpeas climb like pole beans while others form compact plants like bush beans.
Are cowpeas bush or vine?
vinePlanting Cowpea Whether you eat its seeds or not, cowpea looks great in the garden. It's a climbing vine with attractive leaves—each divided into three leaflets—and lavender-purple flowers throughout the summer. Because cowpea is a heat-loving vine, it will grow on trellises, up arbors, and over teepees.
How tall does cowpeas get?
Cowpea pods can get up to 6 to 10 inches in length and look similar to green beans.
What month do you plant cowpeas?
Cowpeas can be planted in most of the country from May to August. Later plantings can provide succulent growth to attract deer for an early bow shot. Cowpeas can tolerate a wide range of soil types but do best when planted in well-drained soils that are slightly acidic.
How long does cowpeas take to mature?
60- 120daysCowpea can be harvested at different stages of maturity, i.e. leaves, green snaps, green-mature, and dry and depending on the variety and climatic conditions, cowpeas may take 60- 120days to mature their seeds.
Are cowpeas hard to grow?
Cowpeas are relatively inexpensive, easy to establish and manage, grow well under just about any condition, produce a tremendous amount of protein-packed and digestible forage, and deer are extremely attracted to them. Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata) is a warm-season annual legume that originated from Ethiopia.
Do cowpeas need fertilizer?
Cowpeas and field peas need little to no fertilizer during their growing season. Using a good quality fertilizer like the Hoss Complete Organic Fertilizer on your soil before or at planting will be enough to sustain the plants while they grow.
Are cowpeas and field peas the same?
Field peas are cowpeas, so named because they were grown as a rotational crop in the fields instead of in kitchen gardens. Dozens of different types—what we now call heirloom selections—were grown in Southern communities that valued them for their flavor and ability to flourish in local conditions.
Will cowpeas reseed?
Cowpea has the potential to reseed from previous plantings. Cowpea can be planted in mixtures with buckwheat or sorghum-sudangrass to maximize its potential to suppress weeds. It is often interseeded into corn for weed suppression (Clark, 2007).
What is the best fertilizer for cowpeas?
Fertilization: N is not required. Cowpea performs best on well-drained sandy loams or sandy soils where soil pH is in the range of 5.5 to 6.5. Excess nitrogen (N) promotes lush vegetative growth and delays maturity. A starter N rate of around 27 lb/acre is recommended for early plant development on low-N soils.
Can you eat cowpea leaves?
They attract pollinators and beneficial microorganisms, and of course, the beans and new growth are edible. The beans (25% protein), young shoots, pea pods, and leaves of a cowpea plant are all edible.
Do cows eat cowpeas?
Introduction. Cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) and lablab (Lablab purpureus) are fast growing, annual, summer forage legumes. They are excellent quality crops for fattening both sheep and cattle, and are also regarded as good feed for milking cows.
Is cowpea a Bush bean?
Despite being called a black-eyed pea, cowpea, or southern pea, these are actually beans. Cowpeas produce in higher heat, humidity, and drier conditions than other beans. Plants are bushy and occasionally semi-vining, producing 6"–8" pods produced at the top (crown) of the plant.
Are cowpeas and black-eyed peas the same thing?
Black-eyed peas (Vigna unguiculata) are a variety of the cowpea and are part of the family of beans & peas (Leguminosae or Fabaceae in the USA). Although called a pea, it is actually a bean.
What are the different types of cowpeas?
Yardlong beanCatjangDixie Lee peaVigna unguiculata subsp. ste...Black-eyed pea/Lower classifications
What is another name for cowpeas?
cowpea, (Vigna unguiculata), also called black-eyed pea or southern pea, annual plant within the pea family (Fabaceae) grown for its edible legumes.
How to grow cowpeas from seed?
In heavy soil, it's a good idea to create a raised bed or row for the seeds to allow water to run off and to prevent damping off or root rot, which are two diseases that commonly affect cowpea plants. When planting a bush variety, sow seeds 2 inches apart in rows separated by 3 feet, and when the seedlings emerge in about 10 to 12 days, thin them to increase the separation to 4 inches. When planting vines, increase the spacing to 10 to 12 inches.
How long does it take for cowpeas to grow?
Growers in Northern regions need a growing season of at least 60 to 100 days, and the soil temperature must be consistently above 65 degrees Fahrenheit with no danger of frost.
Why are cowpeas edible?
Because the peas and leaves are both edible and nutritious, cowpeas can be part of an edible landscape . Besides being tasty, the leaves are lush and green, and the snapdragon-like flowers add their own charm and color to the garden.
Why do cowpeas grow on trellis?
Creeping up a trellis, the vines offer shade to low-growing plants that need it, which is a useful function in the subtropical climates that cowpeas prefer. Because it grows reliably in almost any type of soil, is drought tolerant and is so full of nutrients, the cowpea has historically been a mainstay fodder crop.
Why are cowpeas called Southern peas?
From Jamaica, domestication in the New World followed the slave migration to Mexico, South America and the American South, and because the plant grows only in warm climates, those in the South have been the main beneficiaries, which is why cowpeas are also known as Southern peas. Advertisement.
What are some good crops to grow with cowpeas?
Best Uses for Cowpeas. Like beans and other legumes, cowpeas metabolize nitrogen from the atmosphere and fix it into the soil through their roots, so cowpeas are a good rotation crop for tomatoes, okra, muskmelons, squash and other vegetables that need extra nitrogen. The cowpea plant continues fixing nitrogen in the soil right up ...
How much sun does a cowpea plant need?
Advertisement. Locate the cowpea plant in a part of the garden that receives full sun because it needs six to eight hours of direct sunlight a day.
Where do cowpeas grow?
The Cowpea is believed to have originated from West Africa and is cultivated by wild and cultivated species. It is grown widely in East and Central Africa, India, Asia, South, and Central America.
How much rain does cowpea grow?
It can be grown as a rain-fed crop under rainfall, ranging from 400 to 700 mm per annum. Cowpeas plants can even tolerate water logging. Well-distributed rainfall is important for the normal growth and development of Cowpeas. The frequency and unreliability of rainfall can create problems in the growth of pods.
What is the testa of cowpeas?
The testa (outer cover) may be smooth or wrinkled; white, green, buff, red, brown, black, speckled, blotched, eyed (hilum white, surrounded by a dark ring), or mottled in color. Fruit: pods of Cowpeas vary in size, shape, colors, and texture. They may be erect, crescent-shaped, or coiled.
How big are cowpea leaves?
The leaves of the plants will be dark green in color. The size of the leaves is 6 to 16 x 4 to 11 cm and have many shapes that vary from linear, lanceolate to ovate.
How to control annual grasses and broadleaf weeds?
Annual grasses and some broadleaf weeds can be controlled by a pre-sowing application of herbicide.
How long does it take for a plant to flower after sowing?
Temperature requirement is based on varieties and their response to day length, some varieties are insensitive and flowering within 30 days after sowing when grown at a temperature around 30°C. The time of flowering depends on the time and the location of sowing and maybe more than 100 days.
Do cowpeas need drought tolerant soil?
Cowpeas are much less tolerant to cold soils which have a poor tolerance to waterlogging. Cowpeas thrive in well-drained soil and less on heavy soils.
How long do beans need to grow?
They will rot in cool, damp soil. Even so, many beans require a long growing season of 80 days or more .
Do beans need to be threshed?
Dry beans are not harvested until the pods and enclosed seeds have reached complete maturity, and will often require threshing to remove extraneous pod material. When growing dry beans, it is especially important that growing plants have plenty of space and ventilation so that pods will dry out.
How to keep cowpeas from spreading?
To prevent the spread of fungal and bacterial diseases among plants, avoid working in your bean patch when the foliage is wet. The best way to get rid of beetles and bugs that might eat the leaves of your plants is to pick them off and toss them into a jar of soapy water. Promptly cut down and compost plants that are past their prime to interrupt the life cycles of pests and diseases.
Is cowpea a plant?
Although cowpea is a well known garden plant in the South, this crop deserves more attention across the country. Its long, slender pods are filled with a prolific number of seeds.
Cowpea History
The history of the Cowpea dates to ancient West African cereal farming, 5 or 6 thousand years ago, where it was closely associated with the cultivation of sorghum and pearl millet.
Soil Preference
Cowpea performs well on a wide variety of soils and soil conditions, but performs best on well-drained sandy loams or sandy soils where soil pH is in the range of 5.5 to 6.5.
How to care for Cowpea?
Cowpeas are fairly easy to grow, as long as you provide them with sun and space needed to grow.
Cowpea Types
Southern Peas, or "Cowpeas" as they are commonly known by the Yankees, are thought to have originated in Africa. They were brought to the United States in early Colonial times during the slave trade. They became a staple food in the Southeastern U.S. where they are eaten as green shelled peas or left to dry on the vine for later use.
How long does cowpeas take to grow?
Cowpeas take 80 days or more to become ready for harvest. If growing on a vine, they will need some support like a pole or fence during their growth.
Are cowpeas hard to grow?
Beautiful cow peas are easy to grow and harvest. Winnowing is easy with beans. Just one or two passes in front of a fan is all it takes to clean the seeds for storage. A little more than 1/2 a cup of beans.
Can you eat cowpeas like green beans?
Cowpea (also known as a black-eyed pea) is grown mainly for its edible beans, but what many people don’t know is that the crop can be grown as a vegetable. Its tender leaves and young pods are also edible and can be used to make delicious and nutritious vegetable dishes.
Are cowpea leaves edible?
Cowpeas are grown mostly for their edible beans, although the leaves, green seeds and pods can also be consumed, meaning the cowpea can be used as a food source before the dried peas are harvested. Like other legumes, cowpeas are cooked to make them edible, usually by boiling.
Are cowpeas a vine?
Cowpeas are typically climbing or trailing vines that bear compound leaves with three leaflets. The white, purple, or pale-yellow flowers usually grow in pairs or threes at the ends of long stalks. The pods are long and cylindrical and can grow 20–30 cm (8–12 inches) long, depending on the cultivar.
Can rabbits eat cowpeas?
The results indicate that cowpea can be used safely as a protein source in rabbit diets at inclusion level of up to 20% CP provided it is well processed. Voluntary Feed Intake (gDM) of rabbits offered feed with different protein levels derived from cowpea.
History of Cowpea
Cowpea is a plant that originated in Africa and is now widely farmed throughout the continent, as well as in Latin America, Southeast Asia, and the southern United States. Around 5 to 6 thousand years ago, the crop was associated with the cultivation of sorghum and pearl millet in ancient West African cereal farming.
Benefits of Cowpeas
If you are having doubts about trying Cowpeas as part of your diet, then you better take notes of the following benefits. There are many health benefits attached to cowpeas, however, these are some of them.
How long Does Cowpeas Take To Grow?
Green snaps, green-mature, and dried cowpeas can all be harvested at varying stages of maturation. Fresh-market (green-mature) peas are ready to harvest 16 to 17 days after blooming, depending on the weather (60 to 90 days after planting).
Conclusion
I hope you find this article helpful. I would like to hear from you. So, let me know if you have any questions about how long Cowpea takes to grow. Also, learn how to grow Cowpeas in containers.