🥕 Cowpeas / Black-eyed Peas
Vigna unguiculata
vegetables annual legume (bush or vining)
☀️ Sun
full sun
💧 Water
low to moderate, very drought-tolerant
🗺️ Zones
warm season annual, frost, tender
🪴 Soil Type
well-draining, tolerant of poor sandy soils
🧪 Soil pH
5.5-7.0
💧 Drainage
Well-drained
📏 Spacing
3-4 in. apart, 24-36 in. between rows (bush); 6-8 in. for vining on trellis
📅 Days to Maturity
60-90 days (from seed); bush varieties 60-70 days, vining 80-90 days
🍴 Edible Parts
🍽️ ["Fresh shelling peas🍽️ dried beans🍽️ Southern peas🍽️ hoppin' john"]
🤝 Companions (7)
🤝 corn
Corn provides natural trellising for climbing cowpea varieties; cowpeas in return fix nitrogen that feeds the heavy-feeding corn.
Sorghum stalks give cowpeas climbing support; cowpeas fix nitrogen to offset sorghum's nutrient demands — a traditional African intercrop pairing.
Okra's upright growth and cowpeas' vining habit work well together — cowpeas fix nitrogen for okra while okra provides support without heavy shading.
🤝 squash
Squash's large leaves shade the soil, reducing weeds and conserving moisture for cowpeas; cowpeas fix nitrogen that squash's heavy growth needs.
🤝 cucumbers
Cowpeas fix nitrogen that feeds cucumbers' rapid growth; both are warm-season crops that share similar water and sun requirements.
🤝 sunflowers
Sunflowers provide sturdy living trellises for cowpeas; cowpeas fix nitrogen to support sunflowers' tall growth — a mutually beneficial pairing.
🤝 strawberries
Cowpeas fix nitrogen into soil that strawberries utilize; cowpeas' upright growth doesn't shade out low-growing strawberries.
⚠️ Keep Apart (2)
⚠️ alliums (onion, garlic, leeks)
Growth inhibition or competition
⚠️ gladiolus
Growth inhibition or competition
💊 Medicinal Uses
Contains high levels of folate (critical for pregnancy), iron, and phenolic antioxidants. Rich in soluble fiber and plant protein. Traditional African and Southern US folk remedy for anemia, digestive health, and as a general tonic. Leaf decoction used for eye infections and skin conditions. Drought-tolerant legume with food security significance.
📝 Notes
Heat and drought-tolerant nitrogen fixer. Excellent green manure and cover crop. Corn/sorghum provides support. Traditional intercrop with sorghum in Africa and southern US. Suppresses weeds when densely planted.