How do I grow field peas?

18 years ago

Ha. I bet no one answers this. but let's see.

I live in Provo.

My soil is heavy clay, pH 7.2, soil test show plenty of nutriments but lacking in humus; veggi area in full sun from 8 a.m to 8 p.m. I live right at 4,900 ft, near the base of the mountains--but not in the riverbottoms nor up on the bench.

Here's my dilemma.

I love peas. I'm from Louisiana (40 yrs ago) and miss my southern peas.

These are not "green" peas, but Crowder/field/cow peas -- not black-eye, either. They are usually brown and have a nutty taste, extremely good with okra. It's wonderful food.

Tourists pay lots of money to get this meal when they visit a fancy restaurant in New Orleans or along southern Louisiana.

I have tried, nearly every year, for 40 yrs to grow the pea. It's a vining pea.

In the south it's about as easy to grow them as my uncle's 6' tall bell pepper plants, or 10' high tomato plants or the 6' Gardenias he has around his house as foundation plants--very, very simple to grow.

However, the most success I have had here is one year I got 1/4 cup (that's right, a quarter of a cup) of peas from a 100' row of double planting.

The peas come up okay (has to be warm soil), put out cotyledons, then the 1st set of true leaves--after that the game is about over.

They continue to try to grow, but instead of the stem elongating, it'll grow 1/4", set more leaves, do this a few more times, then the leaves begin to turn yellow and drop.

What I'm left with is a 3" tall stem, with maybe one green leaf on top, that's going yellow and will have dropped by the end of August. Only occasionally will a plant make it to 6" and produce a flower.

I have added compost, fertilizers, sand, gypsum, compost, mulch, bark, grass clippings, chelated iron, liquid iron, soil sulfur, straight nitrogen, super phosphate, shaded them from the hot sun, been careful with the water, kept the bugs off, even hand pollinated some of the flowers that made it. But 99% just sit there, sulk, drop their leaves, and die.

Anyone have any experience with these peas & or suggestions as to how I might be able to grow them? I've planted them in single rows, wide rows, raised beds, sunken beds. I just can't get them to grow.

According to what I've read, they tolerate a pH or 7 or so. They are so easily grown they are often used as a cover crop. I've even inoculated the seeds, prior to planting, although the soil here, doesn't need it.

The only thing I can think of is it's the climate that's thwarting me?

In Louisiana, in the summer it rains almost every night, the difference between day & night temperatures is about 10 degrees.

Here our temp diff is at least 30 degrees. Could that be the problem?

I just turned 60 and since I've been trying to grow these since I was 20, my time is running out.

From a 10'x10' square, I "should" have all the peas I can eat, plus put away for winter.

Help!

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Comments (5)

stevation
18 years ago
I don't know these peas, but I did some google searching and found this at http://www.victoryseeds.com/catalog/vegetable/peas/peas_southern.html:

" Cowpeas or Southern Peas are probably native to the continent of Africa and brought to the United States in early Colonial times. They became a staple food in the Southeastern U.S. where they are eaten as green shelled peas or left to dry on the vine for later use.

They are more likely to succeed in areas with warm soil temperatures (at least 60F) and no danger of frost for ninety to one hundred days after planting. They are highly tolerant of drought and a wide variety of soil conditions, including heavy clay and sandy soils. Soil pH can range from 5.5 to 7. In areas with cooler climates, the plants will tend to be plagued with pests and disease."

I also noticed on one website that there are some varieties more suited to northern climates. Check it out here:
http://www.southernexposure.com/productlist/CPEA.html

My hunch is that Utah soil doesn't get warm enough because like you said our nights are cooler than southern nights. And that one description makes it sound like these kinds of peas are very susceptible to disease and pests if the conditions aren't just right.

I also wonder if they can't handle our dry air. The South is so humid, and if they do so well there, they must like humidity.

But I've never tried to grow them, so that's about all I can say!
sunslight
Original Author
18 years ago
thanks. I'll check the link.
The peas are really in the "bean" family. And yes they are susceptible to all kind of virus--for a couple of years, I'm certain I had V, F, as well as nematodes. --the leaves fell off from the bottom up, growth stunted--very susceptible to early blight.
I found id I do get a few plant to make it to 6" tall and set blossoms, as soon as the blossoms are fertilized, it seems the curciol(sic) weevel hits them.

Which ruins the pea, because it takes a long time to grow--longer than it takes the weevel to be full grown and have eaten all of the maturing peas.

I was really disappointed when I saw that damage.

If I spray (checmical) to kil the pea weevil, I wind up killing beas as well, which I don't want to do.

The peas as you might have read, have a much more bean like flavor than anything you'd expect from a "pea." They are a wonderful flavor. When cooked, the water turns brown, as well as the pea.

It looks like the only way to grow these is in a greenhouse or something like that?

It's frustrating, but then I guess I'd have a difficult time growing sugar cane here, too.

I did have success one year with the "Christmas" lima, pole bean--it gets its name from purple-red blotches on a white lima. The flavor is nothing like a green lima or those big, ugly white ones that you can get in a can.

Thanks for taking the time to look things up.

I tool looked and found that the U. of Minnesota is working with them. You'd think if they grow in Minnesota, they'd make it here. But as you said, it may be more the lack of humidity and differential between day/night temps.

Is there any Master Gardner on here that would like to take a shot at this. --I did get okra to grow, once I found the right variety--now if I could just get the field peas going, too.
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spyfferoni
18 years ago
I am wondering if you could warm up the soil before planting with clear plastic, and once they sprout mulch with black plastic or something else to keep the ground warm and moist. I wonder if some kind of misting system would help also. I've never grown cow peas but, I just finished reading a book about melons and the author said they grow better if mulched with black plastic, especially in the Northern climates. Good luck on your quest! You may want to post this question on the Rocky Mountain forum as well as on the vegetable forum to see in anyone has had any success with a certain variety, and method of growing.

Tyffanie
linda_utah
18 years ago
Have you considered talking with an extension agent in Utah and also in Louisiana? If you get the right person, you just might luck out. I fought my soil for three years until I talked to the right person in our extension office and was given an idea to try. It worked.
authereray
9 years ago
What you need is Clay peas, listed as Iron & clay peas in seed catalogs they will just about grow any where and taste good. Southern Exposure has them. But about any of the seed catalogs have them.