Black Eyes Peas - the veggies, not the group !
Black Eyes Peas - the veggies, not the group !
My Black Eyed Peas have really started to grow like crazy the last week or so. They love the heat here ( unlike us gardeners !) and are really easy to grow. Not only that, they are good for the soil - they fix nitrogen, provide shade for other plants AND you can eat them too !
So...if you would like to know more about them - read on.
Black Eyed Peas are also called Cow Peas. They originate from Africa and are grown in many areas around the world. Their name comes from the so-called small black 'eye' where the bean joins to the pod within the shell.
Here in the Low Desert, unlike the traditional peas that are planted in the Fall, black-eyed peas are a warm season crop.
They do tolerate poor soil much better than most legumes.
Planting guides may say plant in March for a crop in early June, however, I have found you can even plant in May with success. A second crop can be planted in July to be ready in October. The plants take 80 to 90 days to mature.
Cultivation -
For plant spacing - Follow instructions on seed packet.
A word of caution - once they get going, they are voracious climbers and if you are growing them on a support, make sure it is strong or your support may fall over by later in the season. They do not vine as easily as other climbing plants, so you will have to guide them along and through their support system, if you use one. You do not have to use a support though and can just let them ramble all over the ground.
For watering - Keep the top couple of inches of soil moist until seedlings emerge. This is very important !! A dry seed is a dead seed ! Once plants are established, water well, so that it has has penetrated to a depth of about 8” to 10”. You can allow the top inch of soil to become dry, before watering again, making sure you water deeply and thoroughly.
Fertilizing- I have not tended to fertilize my plants, and have found they do very well. However, you may find the recommendation is to fertilize once they have bloomed and the pods are forming.
The flowers are generally a lovely lavender colour, though I have seen white or even yellow flowers.
The peas are inside a green pod that looks like a string bean. The entire pod (and peas inside) may be eaten cooked when young and small, this is approximately 60 days after germination. Do not wait too long to harvest though, or the pod will get stringy. If this happens, you can just let it dry on the plant and harvest the dried peas. Approximately 90 days or longer, after germination
( note - the dried pods with the peas inside are much beloved by rodents, so you may have to fight them for your harvest !)
I have heard that you can eat the leaves either cooked or eat them raw, though I must say, I have not tried them - I would love to hear if anyone has !
If you are only growing them to re-nitrify the soil (green manure or cover crop) then cut them down as soon as the first one flowers, otherwise the nitrogen they store in their roots will be brought out of the soil for pea production. You can still let them produce the "beans" if you like, you will just get less nitrogen benefits for the soil.
After harvesting- Cut the plants off to the ground but leave the roots in the garden. As I said above, the bean roots fix nitrogen and improve soil fertility. They also produce long tap roots and that helps to break up hard soils.
My Black Eyed Peas have really started to grow like crazy the last week or so. They love the heat here ( unlike us gardeners !) and are really easy to grow. Not only that, they are good for the soil - they fix nitrogen, provide shade for other plants AND you can eat them too !
So...if you would like to know more about them - read on.
Black Eyed Peas growing in my garden - Photo taken June 27th 2017
Black Eyed Peas are also called Cow Peas. They originate from Africa and are grown in many areas around the world. Their name comes from the so-called small black 'eye' where the bean joins to the pod within the shell.
Here in the Low Desert, unlike the traditional peas that are planted in the Fall, black-eyed peas are a warm season crop.
They do tolerate poor soil much better than most legumes.
Planting guides may say plant in March for a crop in early June, however, I have found you can even plant in May with success. A second crop can be planted in July to be ready in October. The plants take 80 to 90 days to mature.
Cultivation -
For plant spacing - Follow instructions on seed packet.
A word of caution - once they get going, they are voracious climbers and if you are growing them on a support, make sure it is strong or your support may fall over by later in the season. They do not vine as easily as other climbing plants, so you will have to guide them along and through their support system, if you use one. You do not have to use a support though and can just let them ramble all over the ground.
Here I have then "tamed" with a couple of trellises.
Photo taken June 27th 2017
( I "companion" planted them with marigolds and I am actually pretty astonished the marigolds are still alive !)
For watering - Keep the top couple of inches of soil moist until seedlings emerge. This is very important !! A dry seed is a dead seed ! Once plants are established, water well, so that it has has penetrated to a depth of about 8” to 10”. You can allow the top inch of soil to become dry, before watering again, making sure you water deeply and thoroughly.
Fertilizing- I have not tended to fertilize my plants, and have found they do very well. However, you may find the recommendation is to fertilize once they have bloomed and the pods are forming.
The flowers are generally a lovely lavender colour, though I have seen white or even yellow flowers.
This was taken last year, 2016- Bisbee Black Eyed Pea
(Mine this year, are not yet blooming)
The peas are inside a green pod that looks like a string bean. The entire pod (and peas inside) may be eaten cooked when young and small, this is approximately 60 days after germination. Do not wait too long to harvest though, or the pod will get stringy. If this happens, you can just let it dry on the plant and harvest the dried peas. Approximately 90 days or longer, after germination
( note - the dried pods with the peas inside are much beloved by rodents, so you may have to fight them for your harvest !)
Bisbee Black Eyed Pea - Green pods and Drying Pods - 2016
I have heard that you can eat the leaves either cooked or eat them raw, though I must say, I have not tried them - I would love to hear if anyone has !
If you are only growing them to re-nitrify the soil (green manure or cover crop) then cut them down as soon as the first one flowers, otherwise the nitrogen they store in their roots will be brought out of the soil for pea production. You can still let them produce the "beans" if you like, you will just get less nitrogen benefits for the soil.
After harvesting- Cut the plants off to the ground but leave the roots in the garden. As I said above, the bean roots fix nitrogen and improve soil fertility. They also produce long tap roots and that helps to break up hard soils.
Seed Supplier to try -
Native Seeds Search – nativeseeds.org (Southwestern heirloom seed company based in Tucson, AZ)
Variety that I have found grows well here - Bisbee Black Eyed Pea - an Heirloom.
Wow
ReplyDeleteExcellent article @@