How to Grow Cowpeas UK

Soil & Growing Conditions

Water: Low to moderate; short-duration types need under 500 mm

Soil pH range

5.5 6.5

Span reflects genuine variation between the cited authorities, not a single agreed figure.

Quick Facts

Factor	Value
Soil pH	5.5 - 6.5
Optimal growing temp	25-35°C
Time to harvest	65-125 days
Soil texture	Wide range of soil types provided they are well drained
Drainage	Well-drained
Lifecycle	Frost-tender annual or short-lived perennial, grown as an annual.

Harvest & Storage

When to pick: Clemson gives maturity dates from around 65 to 125 days. Snap pods are picked young and tender; shelling types are left until the pods fill and begin to dry.

Cowpea through the season

Black-eyed peas

The familiar cream seed with its dark hilum. Cowpea seed also comes brown, pink and white.

Coming into bud

Early cultivars flower about 30 days after sowing; late indeterminate types take 90-100.

The flower

Papilionaceous and pink to purple, sometimes white or yellowish, unlike the yellow of most Vigna pulses.

Pod set

Pods are linear-cylindrical. Above 35°C flowers and pods are shed, so timing matters in hot spells.

Carrying a crop

Snap pods are picked young; shelling types are left until the pods fill and begin to dry.

Pod colour

Cultivars vary widely. These pink-flushed pods are sold fresh for shelling.

The yardlong form

Asian selection produced cultivar-groups with pods to 120 cm, grown for the immature pod rather than dry seed.

Grown on supports

Climbing types need real headroom. Stems reach 4 m.

Field scale

One of Africa's most important food legumes, and a field crop across the southern USA.

Sold dry

Cowpea keeps well once dried, though the cowpea weevil is the main storage pest.

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.

References

1. Clemson Cooperative Extension (Home & Garden Information Center) - Southern Peas
2. Plant Resources of Tropical Africa (PROTA) - Vigna unguiculata (PROTA)

2 independent sources are cited for this crop. Where they disagree - soil pH is the clearest case - every figure is preserved rather than averaged into false precision.