Southern Peas (Cowpeas)
 

We've got the space to try out some new southern peas this summer -- anyone have any faves to recommend?

(I'm with Southern Exposure Seed Exchange -- we've already carry a lot of ones like Big Red Ripper, Pinkeye Purple Hull, Mississippi Silver, Zipper Cream, White Acre, etc. -- [url]http://www.southernexposure.com/vegetables-southern-peas-cowpeas-c-3_121.html[/url] -- I really love growing southern peas, would love ideas for new ones to look at!)

I like pinkeye purplehull and zipper creams.

My favorite is White Acre, which is obviously already familiar to you. I only wish the aphids didn't like it. They are an aphid magnet.

I really like black eyed peas and the top pick pink eye purple hull peas. I grow some zipper cream peas last year and I don;t like those at all.

The Purple eye Purple hull has a much better flavor than the Pink eye which was derived from it and if they have a trellis to climb, they will continue to produce peas until frost. Claud

This picture shows a double row of Pole beans, but if you look to the row on the right in the picture, that is Purple eye Purple hull peas. On the end of the row the peas are growing normally since there is no trellis available, but as soon as the trellis starts, the peas started climbing and took it over. Who knew.

[IMG]http://tomatoville.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=47050&stc=1&d=1423928973[/IMG]

And when I say climb, they grew to the top of the 7' trellis and back down to the ground producing peas all the way along until frost took them out.

Prefer zipper cream but it doesn't look good none of the feed and seed stores
Have any. Plus the germination seems to get worse year after year. Last season being the worst. Otherwise I will plant pink eye purple hulls.

[QUOTE=gregory;457319]Prefer zipper cream but it doesn't look good none of the feed and seed stores
Have any. Plus the germination seems to get worse year after year. Last season being the worst. Otherwise I will plant pink eye purple hulls.[/QUOTE]

Interesting you should mention that, my zipper creams had terrible germination last year as well. Maybe our seed was sourced from the same place?

[QUOTE=Ken B;456016]We've got the space to try out some new southern peas this summer -- anyone have any faves to recommend?

(I'm with Southern Exposure Seed Exchange -- we've already carry a lot of ones like Big Red Ripper, Pinkeye Purple Hull, Mississippi Silver, Zipper Cream, White Acre, etc. -- [URL]http://www.southernexposure.com/vegetables-southern-peas-cowpeas-c-3_121.html[/URL] -- I really love growing southern peas, would love ideas for new ones to look at!)[/QUOTE]

I have a whole slew of Texas Cream if you want to try some of them. Just send me a few stamps to mail them. They held up good to the heat and humidity. Pretty tasty too I thought.

Now I know when people see the name Alaska Pea, they think it just a cold weather pea for that area. I found that it does well here in the South. It comes in early which is what I like about it so that you don't have to deal with bugs and disease.



I have plenty of them if a few other folks want to try them. I have bubblers, just need stamps to mail them.

We carry Zipper Cream -- [url]http://www.southernexposure.com/index.php?main_page=advanced_search_result&search_in_description=1&keyword=16116[/url]

I have been noticing the last few years that crowder type cowpeas (white and brown) seem to be more variable with their germ -- have noticed this with Colossus, Hercules, and Zipper Cream -- some of our growers pull off great-germing crops, while others get ones that come in just above standard or below it. (With one of these lots that germinated OK but not great in germination paper towels, when I later planted it out in last summer's cowpeas trials, it didn't have good vigor and had more spotty germination out in actual garden conditions; maybe we'll have to do additional potting soil tests to make sure of the seed vigor?)

My speculation = the big crowder types are more vulnerable to getting messed up by getting rained on as the seeds are drying down -- they'll get this kind of crinkly texture to the seed where you can crack them if you squeeze them hard...

Ken, I have several cowpeas to trade. Two are true bush, have bi-colored seeds, and have a very short DTM. They were developed for Minnesota, but one of them has done well as far South as Texas, where they can get two consecutive crops. Another has light green peas that look almost like soybeans, and short runners. Send me a PM if you might be interested.

Starlight -- yeah, interested, will PM you! Do you know if you've got a particular variety of it? Victory seeds for example lists both Texas Cream 12 and Texas Cream 40 -- [url]http://www.victoryseeds.com/Pea-Southern_c_368-2-3.html[/url]

Hmm, reading Victory Seeds' entry on Zipper Cream just now, they have this note: "'Zipper Cream' peas have a reputation for not tolerating damp soil." Maybe that explains the poor germ I had with last year's garden crop? They were at the wetter end of the patch...

[QUOTE=Ken B;457558]Starlight -- yeah, interested, will PM you! Do you know if you've got a particular variety of it? Victory seeds for example lists both Texas Cream 12 and Texas Cream 40 -- [URL]http://www.victoryseeds.com/Pea-Southern_c_368-2-3.html[/URL][/QUOTE]

Ken.. I have the Texas Cream 40.

I didn't even realize there was a 12. I looked through my peas seeds to see if I had something really different, but I don't as my two main peas are old heirlooms. One is a Heirloom Purple Hull Pea that came from Mississippi and is seed from the first Purple Hull that came out and mine has been passed down from a Native American Tribe who has kept it from being crossed with other peas that they shared with me, and the same goes for the Heirloom White Acre Pea I have.

I'm a black crowder fan, myself. BTW, I just got my order from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange the other day for some various seeds. :)

I've eaten more cow peas in my life than any cow! They have been a multiple times a week to daily staple in my house since I was kid.

My favorites to eat in order are Lady Cream Peas (a zipper cream that is maybe 1/2 the size of most cow peas. Tender, delicious) Purple hull peas (which I'm 99% certain are Pink Eye Purple Hulls) and brown Crowder peas (we just called them Crowders).

Growing wise, I've only grown Purple hulls. I don't really have space for them as the ones I grew were vining and climbed and ran all over everything. There may be some that are more bush like in growth habit - I'd check that out for sure.

In the end, when the farmers market less than a mile from house sells them shelled, in ziplock freezer bags full, and they taste the same as the ones I grew, I knew I was done growing them myself. The process of shelling them is a pain and I don't need the extra work for the same product . Now if you can grow them and taste better, that's worth it. That's why heirloom tomatoes are the greatest single thing a home gardener can grow, in my opinion.

Good luck!

Dewayne Mater

PS if I grow them again, it will be Crowders. Those are very rarely available in my neck of the woods anymore and are a very good cow pea.

PPS The history on these peas is interesting. The mostly came from Africa with slaves. Also, they have some protein, which is nice from a non animal source, if you are a vegetarian. (I'm not!) :))

Lady peas, Zipper cream peas are great! I always plant Pinkeye Purplehull every year from local feed store. Southern peas or Cowpeas are actually beans, not peas. They are prolific, drought tolerant, and get their nitrogen from the air, so easy with the fertilizer! I never fertilize mine. My uncle grew about 10 acres every year and never had a problem selling them. My first job was picking peas for $2 a bushel, my cousin and I would race to see who would get the most money! I miss the good old days!

Is there an easy way to shell the shellies? I've bought a lot of pinkeyes last summer already shelled. Do they use a sheller to do that? These were from a small produce stand.

A lot of people use pea shellers now days. My cousin found a sheller on ebay and it works great, it doesn't mash any of the peas. When I was growing up, everyone had a bucket and we all sat around hand-shelling and talking, it was a great way to spend time together except for the sore and purple fingers! LOL

I have Top Pick Pinkeye Purple Hull peas. I like them because most of the pods are at the top of the plant. I have grown them out and they are true to seed.

Update = we've now got about 18 new cowpeas planted for looking at, plus about 10 varieties we already carry... have good germination on everything so far, so as long as we can keep our goats inside their fences, we should have some nice crops to look at!

I was reading through cowpea descriptions in the Seed Savers Exchange yearbook, and interested to see that some folks were careful to note whether a variety would climb or not -- there were descriptions that'd say that a variety would sprawl but not actually climb. So after reading that, I went and seeded tall sunflowers near the vining varieties... I don't think the sunflowers will survive for long if the cowpeas climb up them, but it'll be an easy way for me to see which cowpeas do like to climb!

I would love to try a zipper or TX cream. I'd also love to try some of the bicolored peas.
I've never had a pea or bean I didn't like.
I have Red Ripper, Bisbee Red and PEPH Top Pick, plus lots of other seeds to try.
I've got the goat issue,too. Nothing keeps them in if they don't want to be there.

[QUOTE=Tracydr;482511]I would love to try a zipper or TX cream. I'd also love to try some of the bicolored peas.
I've never had a pea or bean I didn't like.
I have Red Ripper, Bisbee Red and PEPH Top Pick, plus lots of other seeds to try.
I've got the goat issue,too. Nothing keeps them in if they don't want to be there.[/QUOTE]


The zipper cream are delicious, so are lady peas. I heard that the Red Rippers are good. A guy that grows for market told me his best seller is Stick Up. It is a Louisiana heirloom, so named because the pods "stick up" on the plant. He said they are very good but I haven't tried yet. Last year, he sold them as fast as he picked them! PEPH is my fav so far. They are easy to tell when they are ready to pick, by color alone. I have a 80' row from seed saved from last year.

White Acre is similar to lady peas and the cream peas. Mine are about to start flowering, but as expected, I found the black bean aphids are starting to bother mine. I sprayed insecticidal soap yesterday evening and I'll have to keep up with that if I want any of my White Acre peas. Each year I have the same problem and if I don't get on it early, I won't be able to keep it under control.

Sometime this week, we will be planting black-eyed and purple hull peas. However many will grow in a 24' x 60' area. The purple hull will be the third growing season of planting from saved seeds. The black eyed peas were bought at a grocery store back in 2010. They do better each generation. This will be the 7th time I have planted them from saved seeds.

I do believe certain varieties adjust to growing in any given garden. The black eyed peas have always grown in very hot drought conditions before. I'm hoping they can grow in the wet cooler conditions that this odd year has produced so far.

[QUOTE=AlittleSalt;482833]Sometime this week, we will be planting black-eyed and purple hull peas. However many will grow in a 24' x 60' area. The purple hull will be the third growing season of planting from saved seeds. The black eyed peas were bought at a grocery store back in 2010. They do better each generation. This will be the 7th time I have planted them from saved seeds.

I do believe certain varieties adjust to growing in any given garden. The black eyed peas have always grown in very hot drought conditions before. I'm hoping they can grow in the wet cooler conditions that this odd year has produced so far.[/QUOTE]


I think they will do fine Salt. I planted my purplehulls on April 25. They are tall and noticed several flowers yesterday. Have you ever noticed any cross pollination between the purplehull and the black eyes?

I have not noticed any crosses so far. Our plant out date for Black Eyed peas is late April - early September. I've noticed that ones that get part shade grow bigger and produce more peas.

[QUOTE=AlittleSalt;482897]I have not noticed any crosses so far. Our plant out date for Black Eyed peas is late April - early September. I've noticed that ones that get part shade grow bigger and produce more peas.[/QUOTE]

Thats good to know Salt. I will try black eyes next year too. My tiller is broken, so I will have to wait until then. You should have seen me mowing my garden yesterday, I was laughing myself! I set my pushmower at the highest setting and mowed between the rows!:lol: We had so much rain, the grass got way out of control!:surprised:

[QUOTE=pauldavid;482916]Thats good to know Salt. I will try black eyes next year too. My tiller is broken, so I will have to wait until then. You should have seen me mowing my garden yesterday, I was laughing myself! I set my pushmower at the highest setting and mowed between the rows!:lol: We had so much rain, the grass got way out of control!:surprised:[/QUOTE]

Paul, I mowed our new garden yesterday too. I'm going to till it tomorrow morning and plant the whole thing with peas.

Funny, we both mowed our gardens :lol:

[QUOTE=AlittleSalt;482921]Paul, I mowed our new garden yesterday too. I'm going to till it tomorrow morning and plant the whole thing with peas.

Funny, we both mowed our gardens :lol:[/QUOTE]


Now thats even funnier! You know, great minds think alike!:lol:

Zipper Cream continues to be ridiculously popular, even after getting in another 100 lbs of seed from last year's grower, we're now sold out of the 1/4 lb bulk size. Wonder if other folks will have enough next year so that there won't be such a run on ours. (We lined up more folks for growing seed crops this year in case, but, yow, there were lots of folks calling up to ask if they could get 25- or 50-lb bags...)