How to Grow Black-Eyed Peas From Dried Beans in 5 Simple Steps?

I remember that one of my friends was a horticulture student and was passionate about gardening. He would often grow fruits, vegetables, and some basic spices, and I can never forget how flavourful and aromatic they were.

He was one of the first people who got me interested in gardening. After completing college, I decided on my luck with gardening. Like him, I started with small vegetables and legumes like black-eyed peas. After many unsuccessful attempts, I was finally able to harvest the peas that I had planted.

You can grow your Blacked-eyed Peas from Dried Beans by following these methods:

  1. Choose the Best Variety of Peas
  2. Choose the Apt Time to Grow Your Peas
  3. Sow and Take Care of Your Black-Eyed Peas
  4. Tend to the Pests and Diseases of Your Black-Eyed Peas
  5. Harvest Your Black-Eyed Peas

It requires you to sow good quality black-eyed peas seeds and wait for them to grow true leaves. Now, it is ready to be planted. In this blog, I will present the elaborate method to grow black-eyed peas and what I have learned from my own experience.

If you are also enthusiastic about gardening and wish to grow your black-eyed peas, this blog will help you learn about all the important ‘dos’ and ‘don’ts’ decisive for your black-eyed peas.

What are Black-Eyed Peas?

What are Black-Eyed Peas

Scientifically known as Vigna unguculata, Black-eyed peas are a common legume and are chiefly grown to be edible beans. These beans have high protein content and are packed with nutrients. This is a major reason, which makes it one of the most popular varieties of beans, and people from around the world grow this legume.

Varieties of Black-Eyed Peas

Varieties of Black-Eyed Peas

Although black-eyed peas are used as an umbrella term in contemporary times, there are many varieties of this legume. It is difficult to tell them apart, but we now know that some varieties grow best in one’s garden through experiments. Some of the best varieties of black-eyed beans are California Blackeye peas, Big Boy peas, and Queen Anne peas. 

These breeds of black-eyed peas are more resistant. If you have a small garden where you wish to grow your peas organically without using any fertilizers and pesticides, you can give these variants a try!

What are the Favorable Conditions for Black-Eyed Peas?

What are the Favorable Conditions for Black-Eyed Peas

You might be surprised to know that black-eyed beans can grow well in averagely fertile soil. Ideally, the soil should have an almost neutral pH value. One needs to sow the seeds around one inch deep in the soil. Do not forget to leave two inches gap between two seeds. 

Ideally, 30 inches gap should be maintained between the rows for better growth of the black-eyed beans.

Please remember that when the seedlings grow true leaves, you need to trim them down for optimum productivity. Ensure that there is about 4 inches gap between two black-eyed peas plants. Besides, water the plants regularly and make a trellis to support the growth of your beans.

Also Read: Why Are My Green Beans Plants Turning Yellow? 5 Things You Should Know

How can You Grow Black-Eyed Peas?

How can You Grow Black-Eyed Peas

I hope that all this information has given you some confidence in your gardening skills. Let’s now look at the steps you need to follow to grow black-eyed peas.

1. Choosing the Best Variety of Peas

Remember that more than the technicalities associated with planting or apt gardening tools and techniques, the success of growing black-eyed peas depends more on carefully choosing the variety of pea which best suits your condition. 

Therefore, even before sowing the seeds, you need to be aware of your area’s climate and check if it suits the black-eyed pea variant that you wish to grow.   

In general, there are two varieties of black-eyed peas, the bush variety and the vine variety. While vines stretch across the ground, bush varieties can be cultivated in pods. So, depending on the available space, you can choose which pea variety to cultivate. Please keep in mind that the size and form of these two variants may vary. You must still provide them with regular water and fertilizers.

Also Read: How to Make Your Own Potting Soil? – The DIY Guide

2. Choose the Apt Time to Grow Your Peas

The next step is to plant your black-eyed peas at the appropriate time. If you can, sow your seeds indoors. It is best to sow them during frost. Start sowing the seeds in peat pots or any other biodegradable material in this situation. 

Be aware that legumes like peas face difficulties with transplantation. As a result, when seedlings are ready to be moved to a permanent location outside, you can group them in pots. You can, nevertheless, pause until all hazards of the last frost have passed before planting them outside. It is better to wait till the soil temperature is around 60°F in the spring. 

The goal of starting seeds inside early in the spring is to give more time to your black-eyed peas to enable them to mature before the onset of the summer months.

3. Sow and Take Care of Your Black-Eyed Peas

The next step is to sow your black-eyes peas seeds. Give them ample space, allowing them to grow. You need to ensure that they receive a good amount of water regularly but avoid overwatering at every cost. Also, remember to make a trellis to support your plants. Finally, you need to take care of your black-eyed peas for good production of them. 

Although these plants do not require high maintenance in terms of cost and time, you still need to apply fertilizers as and when required. Please remember that black-eyed peas cannot deal with fertilizers with a high percentage of nitrogen. 

Additionally, you must ensure that the ground does not remain dry for lengthy periods, and you must regulate the amount of water correctly during rainy seasons. Besides, you will also have to remove the weeds from time to time for better growth and yield of your black-eyed peas.

4. Tend to the Pests and Diseases of Your Black-Eyed Peas

These plants are susceptible to many pests and diseases, and you need to tend to this particular requirement. Common pests like root-knot nematodes, bean beetles, heaf hoppers, and aphids attack these plants. Besides, there are common diseases like Fusarium wilt, mosaic virus, and powdery mildew affecting your black-eyed peas. 

In all of these cases, you need to tend to your plants personally, and you can also plant a more resistant variety of black-eyed peas and practice crop rotation. Also, if you find that your pea plants are affected by some pests, you need to segregate the infected plants and burn them to contain the spread of the disease to the healthy plants.

5. Harvest Your Black-Eyed Peas

You can harvest your peas at different stages, depending on your need. However, please keep in mind that even the leafy vegetable and the leaves are eaten in addition to the peas. Therefore, the harvesting part depends on what are you harvesting your black-eyes peas for?

If you want to harvest the peas, you will need to give your plants all the time they require. The pods of peas will mature in about 90 days. After that, you will understand if they have ripened or not, as the pods will change their color from green to yellow. 

On the other hand, if you want the vegetables, you need to harvest the pods after the appearance of the first true leaves. Besides, the leaves can be harvested after 21 days since the seeds have sprouted.

Conclusion

The idea of having your garden and growing leguminous plants like black-eyed peas might be enthralling, but you would need to have proper knowledge about the same. This process requires a lot of patience and care. The favorable conditions and best variety of peas are pre-requisite if you wish to grow black-eyed peas from dried beans.

About Jennifer Igra

Growing up in Brooklyn, New York City known for it’s green gardens. Jennifer, a 30 year old gardener and green living fanatic started Igra World to share her gardening journey and increase gardening awareness among masses. Follow Igra World to improve your gardening skills.

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