Growing Black-Eyed Peas

Have you ever wanted to grow your own black-eyed peas? It's easier than you think. While growing black-eyed peas requires some effort, it isn't that complicated. In this article, I will discuss how you can grow your own black-eyed peas.

Where to grow them -

Black-eyed peas(also known as cowpeas) enjoy a variety of conditions. The most important condition is the heat. Temperatures above ninety degrees are ideal for black-eyed pea plants. These plants will survive and even flourish in lower temperatures, but they do much better when it's warm.

As for the lighting, partial shade seems to be the best. Again, black-eyed peas can tolerate full sun, but they will require a lot more water when they are in the direct light. So try keeping the black-eyed peas in partial shade.

You will also need well drained sandy soil for your black-eyed peas. If your area has the wrong type of soil, you have two options. Either replace or mix up your poorer soil with a richer type of dirt, or you could try growing your black-eyed peas from a pot. Just make sure the pot is around ten or so inches deep, and that it has good drainage. This gives the roots plenty of room to grow.

When you should plant them -

You should plant your black-eyed peas in late spring or early summer, so that you can take advantage of the warmer temperatures. As the temperature gradually increases, you'll notice that your black-eyed pea plants will also grow faster.

Watering -

As for watering your black-eyed pea plants, don't overdue it. Too much water can cause the black-eyed pea plants to rot, but too little water will hurt the plant as well. So if it rains quite a bit then don't worry about watering for a couple of days(especially if it's cool outside). If you're in the middle of a drought, water more frequently. Drip hoses are quite useful when it comes to watering plants in your garden, so you may want to give them a try.

Pests -

Insects may attempt to eat your plants and the black-eyed pea pods themselves. Grasshoppers and cutter ants are the most dangerous of the insects that you will have to worry about. All you can really do is apply pesticides liberally on your black-eyed pea plants, which will be more useful in deterring grasshoppers.

As for the ants, you may want to try and obstruct their ability to enter your garden. You can try placing a miniature plastic wall around your garden, which will help keep the ants out. Sometimes the ants will simply dig underneath it, though.

How They Grow -

Black-eyed peas grow like vines. The black-eyed pea plants can become extremely long, and you may want to hang them from something. You don't have to, though. If you like, you can just let the black-eyed peas grow on the ground. Insects will have easier access to the plants this way, but you will not have to worry about containing the vines anymore.

The black-eyed pea plants are a very durable plant that produce a vegetable many people love to eat. So if you're into gardening, try to grow some black-eyed peas. You'll be glad that you did.