Southern peas

Vigna unguiculata subsp. unguiculata · Pea family (Fabaceae)

At a glance
Hardiness zones	3 to 11
Sun	full sun
Water	low
Life cycle	annual
Frost	Tender: killed by frost
Soil pH	5.8–6.3
Spacing	4 to 6 inches
Days to harvest	65 to 125 days
Soil temperature to plant	at least 60°F

About Southern peas

Southern peas, also called cowpeas, include black-eyed, crowder and cream peas. They love heat, tolerate poor soil and dry spells, and are a classic summer crop across the South.

Grown as a warm-season annual in every zone; it is killed by frost, so plant it after the danger of frost has passed. They need warm soil and long, hot summers, so they are easiest in the South.

When to plant

Timing is counted from your average last spring frost (and first fall frost). Sow & Tell works out the actual dates for your ZIP code.

Sow seeds outdoors: 2 to 10 weeks after the last frost
Fall planting: 10 to 12 weeks before the first fall frost

Days count from seeding and vary widely by variety. Wait for warm soil (at least 60F) and sow seeds 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches deep.

Soil

Most well-drained soils; fertile soil helps, but avoid heavy, wet ground. Irrigation is usually not needed.

Follow a soil test and keep pH 5.8 to 6.3; feed lightly with about 2 to 3 lb of 5-10-10 per 100 ft of row, 7 to 10 days before planting or banded 2 to 3 inches beside and 3 to 4 inches deep from the seed.

Feeding

Rich soil or leftover nitrogen from earlier crops gives lots of vine and few peas, so no side-dressing is needed.

Harvest

For fresh shelling peas, pick as soon as the pods shell easily and the seeds have started to swell. For dry peas, let pods dry on the vine.

Pick pods as soon as they shell easily; NC State advises picking this species daily to keep the vines productive (advice given for its long-pod type).

Varieties (24)

Variety	Type	Days	Notes
California Blackeye No. 5	Blackeye	60 to 65 days	A blackeye pea on Texas, Florida, Georgia and Louisiana lists.
Charleston Blackeye	Blackeye		A USDA release (2005) for home and market gardeners. It resists root-knot nematodes and matures early.
Magnolia Blackeye	Blackeye	65 to 75 days	A medium, bushy plant with light green-yellow pods about 7 inches long. Resists fusarium wilt and root-knot nematodes.
Green Dixie Blackeye	Blackeye (green pea)	71 days	A USDA release whose peas keep their fresh green color even when dried. About 14 peas per pod; about 71 days to dry pods.
Mississippi Shipper	Brown crowder		Pods are dark green when young and partly dark purple at the shelling stage. High yielding for fresh use and canning.
Carolina Cream	Cream		A medium, bushy plant with a concentrated pod set. Pods are green with purple shading at the shelling stage.
Mississippi Cream	Cream	70 days	A high-yielding cream pea.
Texas Cream 8	Cream	75 days	A cream pea on Texas, Florida, Georgia and Louisiana lists.
Zipper Cream	Cream crowder	65 to 75 days	Large, pale peas that are easy to shell by hand, with high yields.
Colossus	Crowder		Large pods and peas that are easy to pick and shell.
Dixielee	Crowder		A vining type.
Knuckle Purple Hull	Crowder	70 days	On Texas and Louisiana lists.
Mississippi Purple	Crowder	60 to 68 days	A semi-vining plant with disease resistance.
Mississippi Silver	Crowder	62 to 65 days	Less vine, pods set in bunches, and easy shelling. Resists fusarium wilt and root-knot nematodes and tolerates viruses.
Top Pick	Crowder	55 days	Easy to harvest because the pods are held on top of the plant.
Iron and Clay	Field pea		A robust, vining field type with small peas that make a dark cooking liquid.
Coronet	Pinkeye	62 days	An upright, compact plant with purple pods at the green-shell stage. About 62 days to green-shell peas.
Mississippi Pinkeye	Pinkeye	54 to 60 days	A semi-upright plant with a concentrated pod set and slightly curved pods about 9 inches long.
Pinkeye Purple Hull	Pinkeye	65 to 75 days	Purple pods with cream-colored peas that have a maroon eye. Mississippi State calls it the typical pinkeye type.
Pinkeye Purple Hull-BVR	Pinkeye		Looks just like Pinkeye Purple Hull in plant, pod and pea, but resists blackeye cowpea mosaic virus.
Charleston Greenpack	Pinkeye (green pea)		A USDA release (1997) whose peas stay green even when picked near dry. Strong field resistance to blackeye cowpea mosaic virus.
Calhoun Purplehull	Pinkeye purple hull	63 days	A semi-vining plant with reddish-purple pods and wilt resistance. Released by LSU in 1966.
Quickpick	Pinkeye purple hull	60 to 72 days	A very compact plant with pods held high above the leaves, so it is easy to pick. Purple pods hold light green peas with pink eyes. Resists cowpea mosaic virus.
Early Acre			A very compact bush plant that matures 8 to 10 days earlier than White Acre.

Good neighbors

Sweet corn

UMN Extension notes that flowering cowpeas grown with or under sweet corn can boost beneficial insects that attack corn earworm; results depend on the planting.

Pests to watch for

Aphids, Stink bugs, Leaffooted bugs, Corn earworm (tomato fruitworm), Cabbage looper, Thrips, Twospotted spider mite, Root-knot nematodes, Mexican bean beetle, Cowpea curculio, Beet armyworm, European corn borer, Bean leaf beetle

Diseases and problems

Fusarium wilt, Southern blight, Powdery mildew, Mosaic viruses, Tomato and tobacco ringspot, Alfalfa mosaic

In the kitchen

Simmered fresh or dried with seasonings, or added to salads and soups.

Keeping it: Shell fresh peas and cook or freeze them soon after picking. Before storing dried peas, freeze them for at least 48 hours to kill any weevils, then keep them airtight in a cool, dry place.

Pets: Not listed as toxic by the ASPCA

Sources

Photo: Photo: Jud McCranie, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0). Photo resized for the web.

Planting dates and advice are general guidance; check with your local Cooperative Extension office for your area.