How to Grow Cowpeas
On this page
Cowpeas are ready to harvest 65–125 days after planting.
Cowpeas (Vigna unguiculata) — Frost-tender annual or short-lived perennial, grown as an annual.
Unlike an annual crop, the work here is front-loaded into establishment: get the planting and the site right and the same plants crop for several seasons.
The short answer
- Ready in
- 65–125 days
- Site
- soil pH 5.5–6.5
Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata)
Also known as: Black-eyed Pea · 2 sources cited
Soil & Growing Conditions
Quick Facts
Harvest & Storage
Cowpea through the season
What the research guides add
Cowpeas (southern peas) are a heat-lovers’ legume. The two extension services below set the sowing temperature a little differently, which is worth knowing if your springs are cool.
- Plant southern peas after the soil is thoroughly warm (62°F or more) in late spring or early summer (Arkansas); Mississippi State says soil temperature should be above 70°F for good germination. (Arkansas Extension, Mississippi State Extension)
- Sow five to seven seeds per foot of row and 1 inch (2.5 cm) deep. (Arkansas Extension)
- Soil pH of 5.8 to 7.0 and medium fertility suit them (Arkansas); Mississippi State puts the best range at pH 5.5 to 6.5 on well-drained sandy loams or sands. (Arkansas Extension, Mississippi State Extension)
- High fertility produces excessive vine growth and poor yield, and because southern peas fix nitrogen from the air, extra nitrogen fertiliser encourages vines at the expense of pods. (Arkansas Extension)
- Arkansas lists the cultivars ‘Top Pick’ at 67 days and ‘Elitear’ at 70 days to maturity, and advises irrigating during flowering and pod fill if the weather turns dry. (Arkansas Extension)
- Mississippi State describes the crop as very tolerant of drought, shade, low fertility and acid soils. (Mississippi State Extension)
- For a fall crop, Arkansas advises planting about 65 to 75 days before the average first frost date. (Arkansas Extension)
Sources for this section
- University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture: Home Gardening Series: Southern Peas (FSA6020)
- Mississippi State University Extension Service: Cowpea (Vigna unguiculata)
Section researched and checked on 24 October 2026 by the SoilCommander Editorial Team. How we check facts: editorial policy.
Last verified 2026-10-24
Growing Cowpea in another region
Sowing dates, frost timing and local advice differ by country. Use the guide for where you garden.
Sources
These source is specific to this region. The full list of 2 sources behind this guide (Clemson Cooperative Extension (Home & Garden Information Center), Plant Resources of Tropical Africa (PROTA)) is in the references of our UK guide to cowpeas; they describe the plant itself, which is the same wherever it grows.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long do cowpeas take to grow?
Typically 65–125 days, depending on cultivar and growing conditions.
What soil pH do cowpeas need?
A pH of about 5.5–6.5. That span reflects genuine variation between the authorities we cite rather than a single agreed figure — the References section lists each source's exact range.
Plan next season before the problems start
This page gives you the thresholds; the planner turns them into your own calendar. It works from what you can observe and measure in your garden rather than from dates written for somebody else’s latitude.
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How this guide is put together
The growing data on this page — sowing windows, pests, diseases, soil and site requirements — comes from named horticultural sources, listed in References below, checked against international horticultural research and extension sources. An automated pipeline assembles that verified data into the page you're reading: it selects which facts to lead with and builds the surrounding prose and layout. It does not invent a date, a source or a number — where a verified value for a field isn't available, the page leaves it out rather than guessing. A person reviews and publishes each page; nothing goes live unverified.
Where To Go From Here
Take this crop from reading into a written plan for your own beds.
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Plan the next step
Use the printable SoilCommander planner for your region to turn this guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and weekly garden tasks.