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Field peas

dbltree

dbltree

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I have been following research that they are doing here in SE Iowa planting field peas for use in hog rations. Sounds very interesting as it can be planted very very early spring or mid to late July as it needs to flower in cool weather.

I hope Kaare (Saskguy) will comment on this becasue if I recall he mentioned once before that deer didn't eat them until they dried down (I could be wrong on that?) but if that is the case it would be a great food plot in high deer density areas. They would leave it alone until fall which would be perfect!

Field Peas in SE IA

Facts on Field Pea Planting/Establishment

Cover Crops: Field Peas

Growing Field Peas

Field Pea

Dry Field Peas

It's cheap enough and can be grown with cereal grains also.

Field Peas

Pea Oatlage

Pea Tritlage


Field Pea (Pisum sativum L.), a native of Southwest Asia, was among the first crops cultivated by man. Wild field pea can still be found in Afghanistan, Iran and Ethiopia

Austrian Winter Pea (Pisum sativum spp arvense) is a fall-seeded pea introduced from Austria to the Pacific Northwest in the 1930s.
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Field pea can be grown on a wide range of soil types, from light sandy loams to heavy clays, but in any soil there must be good drainage as field pea does not tolerate soggy or water-soaked conditions. The soil pH optimum is 5.5 to 6.5.


Interesting possibles especially with the soybean pests and diseases invading this area. Seed isn't RR but a whole bunch cheaper and with a much shorter growing season weeds wouldn't be as much of a problem.

Maybe my deer wouldn't like them... ;)

yeah right... :D
 
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There is absolutely nothing here that will draw deer like a field of peas, especially after they have ripened. The will eat them some while they're little but when they are growing and green they can be a real tangle to walk through. After they ripen, manouvering in them is easier for the deer. The peas themselves are a high protein food and the deer love them here, they'll travel a mile past alfalfa fields to eat the peas that have been left behind when the combine passes. Lots of them shell out and are knocked off without going through the combine. I know a guy who picked up 68, yes 68 sheds off of one single field of pea stubble last winter. Every deer in the area was on it. They have a short growing season so you could get away with planting them late and leaving them for a fall plot. If I had my own dirt...I would. Oh yes, and every guy that is pounding the heck out of honkers here right now is doing it on pea stubble. :)
 
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There is absolutely nothing here that will draw deer like a field of peas, especially after they have ripened.
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Thanks for filling us in on the field peas Kaare! :)

ISU has already done enough testing here over the past several years to know that they will grow well here.

Now it's just a matter of trying it in some food plots and comparing it. I know deer can wipe out a small soybean or Austrian Winter Pea plot but if the field peas don't have the same attraction until they get ripe, that could be good thing.

I think I'll try some in the spring as a test to see what happens...if that goes Ok I'll try more in a summer seeding for fall feed.
 
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if the field peas don't have the same attraction until they get ripe
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I won't say for certain that they don't b/c it isn't really feasible to tell on the avg. 160 acre field b/c there are not enough deer to wipe one out in the early stages. can say that they don't really appear on them until those peas are hard like stones...crunch, crunch. :)
 
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I don't know the guy but he was written up in Iowa Farmer Today a while back- he was double cropping field peas because the growing season was long enough. Be nice to start something in July for a fall plot.

Seed would run ~$32/acre at those rates.
 
I'd plant them by themselves, no need for anything else, they'll fill out the dirt in a hurry. If you planted them in the spring, they'd be plenty ripe by Sept, no green growth to browse on but as stated before, they really like them when the peas themselves mature. Stuff seeded here in mid May is usually combined by late August, and we don't get the heat units you guys do.
 
Would you plant it by itself in the spring?
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I'm thinking in a rotation with rye- rye in the fall, mow in July- disk and plant peas for following fall. Not sure what to follow on peas in the spring- something that can use the nitrogen.
 
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I agree, I think that if I were going to plant peas in the spring I would do them alone, but if I wanted them for a fall food plot I would plant in mid August with a mix of Winter Wheat and Rye. The following summer (July) I would then disk under the WW and Rye and broadcast a mix of Brassicas over the disked WW and Rye, our experience has been that the WW and Rye will come back, if there were any seed heads left on it when it was disked. The result will be a nice plot of Brassicas, WW and Rye. The following spring (May) I would disk it under again, spray it with Roundup a couple of weeks later and then drill in a mix of forage and grain Sorghum, not sure if there would be any benefit from the nitrogen at this point, but it does give you a 3 yr. plan.
 
I agree, I think that if I were going to plant peas in the spring I would do them alone, but if I wanted them for a fall food plot I would plant in mid August with a mix of Winter Wheat and Rye. The following summer (July) I would then disk under the WW and Rye and broadcast a mix of Brassicas over the disked WW and Rye, our experience has been that the WW and Rye will come back, if there were any seed heads left on it when it was disked. The result will be a nice plot of Brassicas, WW and Rye. The following spring (May) I would disk it under again, spray it with Roundup a couple of weeks later and then drill in a mix of forage and grain Sorghum, not sure if there would be any benefit from the nitrogen at this point, but it does give you a 3 yr. plan.
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Hey you guys have already got this all figured out! ;)

Here's another link with some good info including herbicides that can be used, like Poast and Dual Magnum.

Notice they are grown in northern areas with short growing seasons which is why ISU saw the potential for double cropping them here. (after wheat harvest for instance)

Another possible is buckwheat in the spring, till it under in July and then FP's

Of course some guys have a real handy no-till drill which would work great to just drill right into standing wheat or buckwheat ;)

Field Peas in Montana
 
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Looks like a great option. Two questions, could you still plant it now given the cold hardy nature of the plant and hope for no severe cold? Also,any options for broadcasting seed into existing plot? I do plots the hard way, all backpack and no implements.
 
Looks like a great option. Two questions, could you still plant it now given the cold hardy nature of the plant and hope for no severe cold? Also,any options for broadcasting seed into existing plot? I do plots the hard way, all backpack and no implements.
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I think it's way to late to plant now. Talking frost in low lying areas in the morning. I think it needs to be planted in late July to allow it to produce peas which is what the deer would feed on.

I'm sure it can be no-tilled and I see it can be planted about 3" deep in summer so seed can get moisture if it's dry.

I think it would need to be "planted" rather then overseeded on bare ground...sounds like wildlife would scarf up the seed in no time. :)
 
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Just a couple shots of the field peas and oats I planted in April.

I haven't noticed any heavy grazing of the peas yet:

FieldPeas-2.jpg


They seem to do well in fertile areas but are pale white on poor soils.

FieldPeas2.jpg


This was mostly a test to see if deer would graze them to the ground like soybeans or leave them alone so I didn't fertilize...just tilled and planted.

I will till it all under this summer and perhaps try test plots to compare field peas with austrian winter peas and different mixes of oats and rye for fall forage.

It looks like planting rates could certainly be a lot heavier.
 
I have been planting field peas and oats as a cover crop for alfalfa for quite a few years. I plant early in the spring and cut the crop for silage around July 1st. In the next month the peas will grow like you won't believe. They will make vines six feet long. Your stand looks about right. If you plant them thicker you could end up with something hard to plow or disk down. I'm guessing that the further south and the more fertile the soil, the thicker and longer the vines. I posted on here before about a small plot of oats and peas I planted last Aug. The deer preferred it over anything else and never let the peas mature. Be interesting to see if deer like the mature peas better than soybeans or corn this winter.
 
DON"T TILL THOSE PEAS UNDER!!!

Like I said...those mature peas......like deer jerky to us, that's how much they like them when mature..at least up nort eh?
 
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DON"T TILL THOSE PEAS UNDER!!!
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I was just thinking these would be "too mature" by fall so my intentions were to re-plant in July...guess I'll see how these do...or perhaps mowing them is a better option and letting them regrow?
 
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If you can replant in July and have them mature by Oct then it's not a bad idea...but there is no such thing as too ripe. Here they're usually combined in late Aug early Sept and the pea stubble draws them like a moth to a flame right through the winter.
 
If you can replant in July and have them mature by Oct then it's not a bad idea...but there is no such thing as too ripe. Here they're usually combined in late Aug early Sept and the pea stubble draws them like a moth to a flame right through the winter.
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Thanks for the feedback on these peas because they are new to me.

My main thought right now is...will they leave the small plants alone and so far so good.

They could be far better then soybeans if they will allow them to grow...I'll be keeping an eye on them!
 
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After discussing some things with my hunting partner we have elected a spot on some new hunting ground that we can put food plots into. Peas have been on my mind since last summer.

With planting in Mid-Late July, what about moisture??? I am always scared to plant anything in Mid summer becuase it seems like from July 10th on we dont get any decent rains till End of August. Just hot dry sun.

How much moisture do you think peas will need. More less than clover or rye or rape?

Dean
 
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