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How to Grow Cowpeas
Although black-eyed pea is a well known garden plant in the South , this crop deserves more attention across the land . Its long , slender pods are filled with a fecund turn of seeds .
Time of Planting
Most gardener plant Vigna unguiculata seeds immediately outdoors , once the risk of frost has passed . Water seed well to travel rapidly up germination .
Spacing Requirements
Plant the Vigna unguiculata sow 2 - 3 inches apart , ½ inch deep directly into warm territory .
Time to Germination
Vigna unguiculata are quick to germinate .
Special Considerations
dissimilar varieties of cowpeas have unlike grow substance abuse . Some cowpeas rise like perch beans while others shape compact plants like bush attic .
Common Pests and Diseases
Cowpeas can be affected by a number of diseases and are susceptible to viral infections . Some of these bacterial and fungal disease can continue in the grime for several years , so grow cowpeas in different areas of your garden each year . To forestall the spread of fungal and bacterial diseases among plant , avoid ferment in your dome patch when the foliage is wet .
The best way to get rid of beetles and bug that might use up the leaves of your flora is to pick them off and toss them into a jar of fulsome water . Promptly contract down and compost plants that are past their prime to cut off the lifespan cycles/second of pests and diseases .
When and How to Harvest for Food Consumption
For culinary employment , cowpeas can be harvested early , like green beans , or later in the season when the pod are wry and brickly , and the seeds inside are concentrated .
Eating
Young black-eyed pea fuel pod are best eaten fresh , tinned , or frozen . Dry cowpeas must be soaked and boiled before eating .
Storing
black-eyed pea can be stored ironical for years .
How to Save Cowpea Seeds
Saving cum from these crops is soft whether you are eating their green ( young ) dome ( in which example you simply leave some pods on the vine to reach seed maturity ) or you are growing for their wry beans , in which case harvest for intellectual nourishment and harvest for seed are one and the same . pay the relatively short isolation space necessary to maintain a variety , a gardener can even develop and deliver seeds from more than one cultivar in the same season .
Life Cycle
Annual
Recommended Isolation Distance
Separate change by 10 - 20 groundwork .
Recommended Population Sizes
To guarantee viable seeds , save seeds from at least 1 plant . When maintaining a variety over many generations , save up seeds from 10 - 25 plant life . If you ’re lay aside cum for genetic preservation of a uncommon variety , save seeds from 50 plants .
Assessing Seed Maturity
Seeds are mature when pods turn tan .
Harvesting
Cultivars of cowpeas and yardlong noggin vary in their tendency to shatter ( when the fruits split to disperse seeds ) . The pods are fledged enough to harvest once they have begin to release jaundiced , but if they are monitored carefully to forefend smashing , they can be left on the plants until they are tan and juiceless .
case-by-case pods can be picked as they maturate , or whole plant can be uprooted or cut at the theme and spread out on run-in cover charge in a sheltered location to finish maturing and drying . Plants should be left to dry out until the pod are brittle and the seeds become too grueling to dent with a fingernail .
Cleaning and Processing
When the cowpea pods are completely dry , divulge them open to release the seeds . Separate the seeds from the stubble . If you are save a great number of cowpea come , you may thresh and winnow the pods to separate the seeds and shuck .
Storage and Viability
Store cowpeas in a nerveless , dark , and dry place in an airtight container to keep out moisture and humidity . Under these conditions , cowpea seeds will last 3 - 4 eld .
scan more about storing cum .
If you ’re interested in getting started with seed saving in your garden , legume crops such as bean , soybean , and peas make it easy . In this webinar , we talk about all the necessary details , from how your legumes are pollinated to flail and winnowing after harvest .
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