Y’all know that I’ve trie my hand at gardening for the first time this year. And I’m happy to report that I actually was able to get a harvest this year! So I figured I could share some specifics of the veggies I’ve grown. For today, I’ll be sharing how to grow black-eyed peas.
If you’ve never had them before, you are missing out! These southern peas are a staple around here and many people have them specifically for New Year’s Day.
Supposedly they are supposed to bring you good luck and prosperity for the new year ahead. So obviously, you should try your hand at growing them, that way you have plenty to eat. Not only for New Years, but throughout the next year too.
I was a little intimidated at first because I’ve never tried to grow them before. But the good news is, you don’t have to be master gardeners in order to grow them.
Honestly, my garden was a guessing game to me most of the year, so I am so excited that everything that I did actually worked! Keep on reading to see everything that I did, as well as how to harvest blackeyed peas as well!
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Where To Get Seeds/Seedlings
I don’t know about you, but I’ve actually never seen any black-eyed pea plants at Lowe’s or any store like that around here. They may possibly be at your local nurseries, but again, I haven’t really seen them around.
But, I wasn’t really looking that hard for them to begin with. I got them by a happy accident this year. You may remember my post from several months ago about how to grow seedlings. I got a variety pack of seedlings from a great company called Cerca Cultivation.
And they gave me their farmer’s bundle. So I didn’t exactly know what I was getting at first, but that was kind of fun. It was a nice surprise to open them and see what I got.
And of course, one of those little seedlings were my black eyed peas! I didn’t think too much of it at the time, mainly because I was worried that I couldn’t produce anything once I planted them in my garden. Again, I am a super newbie gardener!
Some of the seedlings did really well and some ended up dying. But again, I think that was my fully because I originally planted them too close together.
Thankfully, one of the ones that ended up thriving were my black eyed peas! If you want to try your hand at growing them from seeds, I recommend you check out Seeds N’ Such.
You may remember I also worked with this company this year and had great success with it. Even though it was my very first time planting vegetable seeds!
How To Grow Blackeyed Peas
I planted the seedlings in my raised metal garden beds and I want to say I planted them in late May this year. You want to plant them after the last frost of the season, when your soil temperatures are around 65 degrees.
You don’t want the danger of frost to damage your peas, so don’t plant them too early. If you’re planting seeds and not seedlings, place seeds 4-6 inches apart in rows that are 2.5-3 feet apart as well.
You want to plant them about 1 inch deep in the soil and somewhere where they get full sun. They need to be watered regularly, especially when they are flowering, and use additional fertilizer as needed. I will link the exact fertilizer I used below.
You just need to add a capful of it to a gallon of water, so a little goes a long way! You will notice as the plant grows, so do the trailing vines. You might need to put a plant trellis around them to help with the growth. We did and I will link the one I used here too. I like this one because you can build it up as needed.
What To Plant With Black-Eyed Peas
If you’re looking for companion plants to plant with you black eyed peas, I’ve got you covered. Like I mentioned above, I planted everything in my raised garden bed.
So I didn’t have too much room to add in a lot of other plants. But, in the same bed, I added heirloom tomatoes (and that plant is HUGE) as well as green bell peppers.
Other good choices for companion planting are corn, squash, and cucumbers if you have more room than I did in your garden space! Again, just make sure they are in a sunny spot too.
Challenges When Planting Peas
Even though black eyed peas are pretty easy to grow, they still can succumb to a few garden issues. They are susceptible to pests like aphids and nematodes.
Which you can easily prevent by using neem oil or diatomaceous earth. They are also prone to diseases like bean mosaic virus and powdery mildew and challenges related to poor soil and soggy conditions.
But as long as you have proper soil drainage, adequate sunlight, and timely planting; you should be good to go!
How To Harvest Black Eyed Peas
For best results, you want to harvest the peas when the pods are at least 3-4 inches long. Immature pods are a lot smaller than that so don’t pick them just yet!
And the cool thing with black eyed peas is that you can either harvest them as fresh snap beans, or dry beans. If you want to enjoy them fresh, harvest the seed pods while they are still nice and green.
Gently pick the pods of the vine, being careful not to completely damage the vine. Then, enjoy the fresh pods as you would snap beans. For dried beans (which is what I did), you want to harvest them when the pods are dry, brown, and brittle.
And you can even hear the peas rattling inside. Shell the dried peas by opening the pods and pushing them out. I will say it is much easier to shell the dried peas rather than the fresh. I accidentally pulled a fresh pod off with my dried ones, and it was much harder to shell.
And if that happens to you too, no worries! Just set the fresh shelled beans on a cool dry place to dry out. Once they are all dry, store in an airtight container, away from high heat.
The dried peas will store in an airtight container for up to a year. Just be sure to soak them in water overnight when you are ready to use them and cook them!
Enjoy Your Black Eyed Peas!
Well, I hope you enjoyed this post on how to grow black eyed peas. Like I said above, it’s all been a learning experience for me, but I have loved the process!
There’s nothing like having farm fresh vegetables and not having to go to the grocery store in order to get them. It’s so nice to be able to have a successful harvest right from your backyard.
Have you ever grown black eyed peas before too? It’s a southern favorite around here, so if you’ve never tried them, you definitely should!
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