How to Grow Cowpeas USA

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	77-95°F (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

Coming into bud

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

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)

Cowpeas in the USA: climate data

The sources give 67–70 days from sowing to harvest (Arkansas Extension). NOAA’s median freeze-free season runs from 136 days in Bismarck, ND to 365 days in Phoenix Sky Harbor, AZ; in every one of the cities it is at least as long as the quickest time given.

Dates are the median 32°F freeze dates and freeze-free days from NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020; zones come from the USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map (ZIP code of each city centre). The last column is the freeze-free season minus the longest time to harvest the sources give; it is arithmetic, not a forecast, and the soil still has to warm before sowing, which uses up some of the spare days. These are medians, so a cold year can be shorter.

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.

Sources

1. Clemson Cooperative Extension (Home & Garden Information Center) - Southern Peas

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.