How to grow southern pea (cowpea)

Vigna unguiculata · Fabaceae · Vegetable

Southern Pea (Cowpea) is a warm-season vegetable in the Fabaceae family, almost always sown straight into the ground where it will grow. It wants full sun (six or more hours of direct light) and modest, occasional watering. From sowing to first pick is about 60–90 days. It is killed by frost, so nothing goes outside until the danger has passed and the soil has warmed.

Grower’s note: A staple of hot-summer gardens - thrives on heat, poor soil and drought where snap beans fail. Grown for fresh shelling (crowder and cream types) or dried, and also as a soil-building summer cover crop.

Sowing

Sow about 1.3″ deep, into soil between 65–95°F — germination is quickest near 85°F. Germination takes a week or two (7–10 days). It does not transplant well, so sow it in its final position rather than starting it in pots.

Spacing & layout

Give each plant about 4″ along the row with roughly 30″ between rows. On a square-foot grid that is 4 per square foot. Allow at least 24″ of loose, workable soil for the roots. It grows well in containers at least 12″ deep.

Fitting it to your season

Southern Pea (Cowpea) needs roughly 60–90 frost-free days to crop. Where the season is shorter than that, start it indoors and choose the earliest-maturing varieties, or grow it in a container you can move under cover on cold nights. In long, hot-summer regions it can often be planted twice — once in spring and again in mid-to-late summer for a fall harvest.

Quick facts

When to plant southern pea (cowpea)

Companions

Common problems

Pests: cowpea curculio, aphids, stink bug.

Diseases & disorders: fusarium wilt, root-knot nematode, cowpea mosaic virus.

Same family (Fabaceae)

Rotate these so they don’t follow each other in the same bed year to year.

Figures are typical home-garden ranges from Cooperative Extension planting guides, cross-checked against multiple state sources. Your variety and conditions will vary.