Cowpea, Grey Speckled Palapye (Organic)
Vigna sinensis. Grey Speckled. 75 days fresh, 95 dry.
We have tried growing many varieties of cowpea / black-eyed pea / crowder pea through the years and had never experienced a harvest worth writing about until 2014 when we gave Grey Speckled Palapye a try and finally, a cowpea worthy of praise in our growing conditions! Sometimes you just gotta keep trying. Short, somewhat viney plants are very productive with long pods. Beans are flavorful dried and can be eaten fresh as well. Early and tolerant of cool weather. Pods shed a few early rains and thresh easily. Originally from a market in Palapye, Botswana.
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Direct sow 1” deep when soil temps have reached 65°F, ideally by early June for dry beans. May also be eaten green at any stage. Plant at 2-4” in-row spacing and 12” between rows. Very heat and drought tolerant, also good as summer leguminous cover crop. For dry beans, pull entire plants and allow to after-ripen before processing. Collect seeds from beans that are fully dry. Shell by hand or by dancing on the dry pods, winnow or screen to clean. Test for dryness with a hammer – dry beans shatter, moist beans squish.
Seed Saving
Cowpeas are self-pollinating and do not need isolation for seed saving purposes.
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