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Cowpeas

Marty Edwards

Marty Edwards

PMA Member
I am required to plant several acres of my CP38E CRP into Early Successional Habitat. Cowpeas are one of the options. I've got about 24 acres, broken up into several different fields. I've identified roughly 15 acres I think would be well suited for cowpeas. I know from the reading i've done they are high in protein and highly preferred in their green state. Has anyone planted them? I understand the first hard frost will kill them & they will dry down. I can't find much, really any, information about how deer utilize them after they die & dry down. Will the deer eat the peas (beans) pods after they've dried down? are the peas/beans a preferred food source?

Thanks for any replies!
 
I love to use them but not in this volume. Not to say I wouldn't if I could. I use them as a plow down summer food source and they will get browsed pretty heavy. They are meant to be more of a forage planting. I dont see them being of high value as far as the seed pods go but that many acres would be interesting to see the result.

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Agree. You could try but I’d probably plan on them getting pounded or being gone later on (convert to something else).
they are crazy drought tolerant and deer will hammer them.
 
Anyone successfully planted cowpeas this far north and got pods on them? I hear they need a pretty long growing season, especially the Iron and Clay variety.
 
Bassattackr said:
Anyone successfully planted cowpeas this far north and got pods on them? I hear they need a pretty long growing season, especially the Iron and Clay variety.
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Mine always got eaten down by then. :(. I needed bigger area. They do pop right up (doesn’t matter if it’s a desert outside!) & grow fast. Not sure if they could be pod producing. I have to imagine so but maybe I’m wrong.
 
I'm pondering a cowpea / milo planting next year. Seems they are a much quicker, better weed suppressor than beans. Maybe a good companion crop as well. Beans seem to do better for me when "hidden" amongst other plants.

I hear Red Ripper cowpeas have a shorter growing season and may produce pods (if they make it!).
 
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