Southern Peas (Cowpeas)

Ken B · March 10, 2015

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. -- http://www.southernexposure.com/vege...s-c-3_121.html -- I really love growing southern peas, would love ideas for new ones to look at!)

Stvrob · March 10, 2015

I like pinkeye purplehull and zipper creams.

shelleybean · March 10, 2015

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.

whistech · March 10, 2015

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.

saltmarsh · March 10, 2015

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.

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.

gregory · March 15, 2015

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.

Stvrob · March 15, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by gregory

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.

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

Starlight · March 15, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken B

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. -- http://www.southernexposure.com/vege...s-c-3_121.html -- I really love growing southern peas, would love ideas for new ones to look at!)

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.

Ken B · March 16, 2015

We carry Zipper Cream -- http://www.southernexposure.com/inde...&keyword=16116

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...

Zeedman · March 16, 2015

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.

Ken B · March 16, 2015

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 -- http://www.victoryseeds.com/Pea-Southern_c_368-2-3.html

Ken B · March 16, 2015

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...

Starlight · March 16, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ken B

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 -- http://www.victoryseeds.com/Pea-Southern_c_368-2-3.html

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.

linuxmoose · March 27, 2015

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.

Dewayne mater · March 27, 2015

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!)

March 10, 2015	#1
Ken B Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: central Virginia Posts: 243	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. -- http://www.southernexposure.com/vege...s-c-3_121.html -- I really love growing southern peas, would love ideas for new ones to look at!)

March 10, 2015	#3
shelleybean Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Virginia Beach Posts: 2,648	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. __________________ Michele

March 10, 2015	#5
saltmarsh Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2010 Location: 2 miles south of Yoknapatawpha Zone 7b Posts: 662	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. 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. Last edited by saltmarsh; March 10, 2015 at 06:26 PM.

March 15, 2015	#6
gregory Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: mobile zone 8 Posts: 83	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. __________________ Zone 8 Mobile AL

March 10, 2015	#2
Stvrob Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Jacksonville, FL Posts: 1,413	I like pinkeye purplehull and zipper creams.

March 10, 2015	#4
whistech Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2012 Location: Between The Woodlands and Spring, Texas Posts: 553	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.

March 16, 2015	#9
Ken B Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: central Virginia Posts: 243	We carry Zipper Cream -- http://www.southernexposure.com/inde...&keyword=16116 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...

March 16, 2015	#10
Zeedman Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Wisconsin Posts: 313	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.

March 27, 2015	#14
linuxmoose Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: Northport, Alabama Posts: 25	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.

March 27, 2015	#15
Dewayne mater Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2008 Location: DFW, Texas Posts: 1,212	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!)