Aquaponics FL

Crop lessons · Legumes

Growing Southern peas (cowpeas, field peas) in Florida

Vigna unguiculata · Fabaceae (bean family)

Southern peas (also called field peas, cowpeas, crowder peas and cream peas) are a heat-loving, highly nutritious legume for Florida's warm months, and they double as a summer cover crop. The three types are crowder, cream and black-eyed. Cowpea curculio is the common pest.1, 2, 3

When to plant southern peas (cowpeas, field peas) in Florida

RegionMonths on the UF/IFAS calendar
North FloridaMarch seed · April seed · May seed · June seed · July seed
Central FloridaFebruary seed · March seed · April seed · May seed · June seed · July seed · August seed
South FloridaJanuary seed · February seed · March seed · April seed · September seed · October seed · November seed · December seed

Months follow UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions, "What to plant by month"; "transplant with care" is their wording for crops that resent root disturbance. Not sure of your region? Find your county.

Planting1, 2

How to startseed
Seed depth (inches)1 to 1½
Spacing in the row (inches)2 to 6
Between rows (inches)12
Days to harvest75 to 90

SP 103 planting dates: north mid-Mar to Aug, central Feb to Aug, south Sept to Apr. Plant after all danger of frost has passed.

Varieties UF/IFAS lists for Florida1

  • California Blackeye No. 5
  • Pinkeye Purple Hull
  • Texas Cream

Growing1, 2, 3

SunFull sun. SP 103 advises a garden spot with at least six hours of direct sun a day (general advice, not specific to this crop).
Soil pH5.8 to 6.3 (SP 103's general target for vegetable gardens on sandy soil; no change is needed anywhere from 5.5 to 7.0). No crop-specific figure was found.
WaterKeep soil moisture steady (SP 103). Southern peas survive drought, and mulch helps the soil hold moisture.
FertilizerHalf the rate used for other vegetables; too much nitrogen limits production. They fix their own nitrogen but still need some fertilizer.

A good summer cover crop that enriches the soil for fall plantings.

Pests and diseases in Florida1, 4

  • Cowpea curculio: Named by SP 103 as a common pest of southern peas.
  • Bean leaf beetle, aphids, stink bugs; rust and powdery mildew: Listed among bean and pea pests and diseases in the commercial Vegetable Production Handbook (CV125), not a home-garden guide.

Harvest2, 3

Pick often to keep plants flowering and setting pods. Young green pods can be eaten whole; mature peas can be shelled and eaten fresh or dried.

In an aquaponics system5

suited with care

Neither source names southern peas. The FAO manual says legumes such as peas and beans have low nutrient demand, are ideal for new systems and grow best in media beds; that is group-level advice only.

What this lesson doesn't cover yet

  • No crop-specific soil pH figure was found.
  • Aquaponic guidance is for legumes as a group; no source covers southern peas specifically.

Your county extension office and its Master Gardener volunteers can fill these in for your garden.

Sources

  1. Florida Vegetable Gardening Guide. UF/IFAS Extension, EDIS, SP 103. Read 2026-11-02.
  2. Southern Peas. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions. Read 2026-11-02.
  3. Heat-Tolerant Vegetables. UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions. Read 2026-11-02.
  4. Vegetable Production Handbook of Florida, Chapter 11. Legume Production. UF/IFAS Extension, EDIS, HS727/CV125. Read 2026-11-02.
  5. Small-scale aquaponic food production: Integrated fish and plant farming (Somerville et al. 2014). Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), FAO Fisheries and Aquaculture Technical Paper 589. Read 2026-11-02.

Every fact above is restated in our own words from these documents, written 2026-11-02. Independent of the University of Florida.

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