Black eyed pea: Best Methods For Planting And Growing The Vegetable

The black eyed pea are a group of warm season vegetables native to Africa that do not tolerate the slightest frost. Growing the plant is extremely easy. Its pink, cream, or green seedpods hold beige colored beans that have a black notch.

The vegetable is called a pea, but actually, it is a bean. Eating it on New Years Day is a tradition in the Southern US, thought to bring good luck throughout the coming year.

As a legume, growing the pea adds nitrogen to the soil.

• The black eyed pea is a heat-loving crop prefers sandy loamy soil, which is made of clay, sand, and silt.

• The soil needs to be well drained. Loam soils generally contain more nutrients and humus than sandy soils and have better drainage than silty soil.

• Test soil for adequate levels of potassium, phosphorus, nitrogen, and proper acid-alkaline balance. Maintain a pH level of 6.0 to 6.5 by applying organic compost.

• Plant the black eyed pea in a depth of one inch deep. Growing it from seed takes 7-10 days to germinate. Black-eyed pea grows best in raised bed gardens. Raise rows six to eight inches.

Spacing of rows should be three feet apart. Thin successful plants to four inches between plants.

Allow thirty plants per household member. Succession plantings every four weeks allows for a continuous harvest throughout the growing season. In hot summer climates, plant in spring two weeks after all danger of frost has past.

When planting black eyed pea, there is a wide variety including: Queen Anne, California Black Eye, Calico Crowder, Knuckle Purple Hull, and Zipper Cream.

As a nitrogen-adding legume, three weeks after germination, fertilization can exclude nitrogen.

• Growing black-eyed pea is a drought-tolerant plant and cannot tolerate excessive water. Water regularly without wetting blossoms or foliage.

• Avoid overusing fresh manure or high-nitrogen fertilizer, which prevents blooms from setting pods.

Companion Plants

Turnips, radishes, beans, corn, carrots, and cucumbers make great garden neighbors for the pea. Onions, garlic, and potatoes are not good choices to plant near the vegetable.

Harvesting

After planting the pea it will reach maturity in 60-70 days when sown from seed. Black-eyed pea can be picked at the green shell stage or left to fully mature and dried for storage.

For green peas, harvest when the pod is bulging but has not begun to dry.

Shuck the peas, rinse, and dry. For dried peas, pick when the pods are completely dry but have not yet split open. Shell and spread out on a waterproof cloth in a sunny protected spot to dry.

The pea has a high nutritional value. Black-eyed peas are an excellent source of vitamin A, calcium, and other essential nutrients.

Green black-eyed pea can be substituted for snap beans in most recipes.

Pests and Disease

Growing the pea is relatively free of disease and pests. Root-knot nematodes can pose a problem if crops are not rotated. If nematodes are suspected, plant resistant varieties genetically designed to resist its damage. Because the bloom attracts a variety of bees and butterflies, care must be taken in spraying insecticides.

Storage

Store in vegetable bin of refrigerator for one to three weeks. In the green shell stage the pea can be blanched, cooled in ice water, dried, and stored in the freezer for up to six months. All peas may be dried and stored for up to a year.

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