Garden Planner Growing Information for Crowder Peas

Crowder Peas

Crop Rotation Group

Legumes (Pea and Bean family)

Crowder Peas, also known as Cowpeas

Soil

Any average, well drained soil.

Position

Full sun.

Frost tolerant

No. Crowder peas are semi-tropical plants that crave warm growing conditions.

Feeding

When using crowder peas to improve very poor soil, mixing a balanced organic fertilizer into the soil before planting will give better results.

Companions

Other heat-tolerant summer-blooming annuals.

Spacing

Single Plants: 5" (15cm) each way (minimum)
Rows: 5" (15cm) with 1' 1" (35cm) row gap (minimum)

Sow and Plant

Sow in summer, when the soil is warm. Crowder peas will not germinate in cold soil.
Our Garden Planning Tool can produce a personalized calendar of when to sow, plant and harvest for your area.

Notes

Crowder peas are a good nitrogen-fixing summer cover crop for warm climates, where the vegetable seasons are sharply divided by a period of hot weather.

Harvesting

Pull up or turn under plants any time after they are about 4 weeks old, but before they develop pods.

Troubleshooting

Rarely bothered by pests or diseases when grown in warm weather.