Cowpeas Quickpick Pinkeye

Grow upright Quickpick cowpeas for a concentrated harvest of dark-purple pods and green, pink-eyed peas.

A compact row with a shared harvest

Quickpick is a determinate, erect, non-vining southern pea. Its bush-type plants set pods in a concentrated flush, so the crop is easier to gather for one meal or a preserving day. Pods sit at or above the foliage where you can spot them without searching through long runners. Each straight pod grows about 8 inches and holds roughly 11 peas. Fresh peas are green with a light-pink eye and a slightly kidney-shaped form. Use them shelled in rice, soup, or a pot of field peas.

Save this bed for warm weather

Cowpeas thrive in hot weather and can take the place of spring vegetables once the season turns warm. Choose full sun and soil that drains well. Sow after the ground has warmed, and keep the row watered while plants establish and pods fill. Avoid leaving the root zone in standing water. Because Quickpick stays upright rather than vining, it is easier to keep within a narrow bed and easier to inspect as pods mature. Leave a walkway beside the row for picking and shelling baskets.

Shell the mature-green pods

For fresh shelling, gather pods at the mature-green stage, when the pod has turned dark purple and the peas inside are green. The pod set is synchronized, so much of the crop may be ready around the same time. Cut or snap pods without yanking the stems. Shell them soon after picking and refrigerate if dinner is later. If the row produces more than you need, freeze shelled peas for winter meals. You can also leave pods to dry for a pantry supply, but pick shelling peas before they dry.

Plan around the crop's shape

The compact habit does not mean the row should be crowded. Give plants enough room for air and light, then keep weeds down while they are small. Cowpeas fit well in a warm-season rotation after leafy greens or peas have finished. A single sowing makes a more concentrated harvest; a second planting can extend fresh picking if the season still has enough heat. In the kitchen, Quickpick's green peas and light pink eye make a useful shelling pea for simple country cooking.