Sentimental Gardener Discovers Beans That Like It Hot

Known as cowpeas, field peas, or southern peas, these are beans that like it hot! I’ve grown many varieties throughout the hottest summers that my central Texas garden can cook up. I’ll discuss harvesting, storing, and common pests of these champion beans.

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CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
01:39 Louisiana Story Time
02:44 Saving Seeds
03:39 Beans As Cover Crops
04:20 Southern Peas Are Beans
05:24 Varieties I’ve Grown
06:49 Southern Peas And Biodiversity
08:55 When To Harvest Southern Peas
12:26 The Dreaded Bean Weevil
14:46 Tips For Harvesting Southern Peas
20:18 Outtro

Hey, it’s Scott from New Garden Road and I’m out in the garden this morning. I’m going to harvest some southern peas. This is one of the best crops that you can plant for the the region that I’m in, Austin, Texas. Southern growing zones, warming climates. This is going to be a really good producer for you. Plant it in the spring once the soils warm up. you know, looking at, you know, around 50 to 60 degrees soil temperatures, you know, consistent warmth. They love the heat. They can take it. And the variety that I’m growing this year, or one of the varieties that is that I really love is this Big Red Ripper. This is an heirloom from Southern Virginia, North Carolina, my home state. Shout out to NC. Oh, yeah. Now, what I like to do because I have a small garden is I’ll wait until these peas set up and start to dry in their pods. And then from there, I’ll harvest them, take them inside, dry them further, and that gives me a way to save food so I can I can cook it up later. If you harvest them when they’re fresh, they’re highly perishable, super delicious, you know, and this is great. But if you’ve got a small garden plot, it can be difficult to raise enough to make a meal for you and your family. So when you let them dry on the plant and collect them, you’re going to get more. And granted, you might not get a whole lot in a small backyard garden, but I’m telling you, this is a rewarding crop to grow. You know, the leaves are edible, the young beans are edible, just like a green bean, so you don’t have to let them mature entirely. And my memory uh of when I was younger points to visiting family in Louisiana. I I had I had some folks in central Louisiana and uh we would go down there in the summer. Usually I would fill up on watermelon till my belly was about to pop. But I remember the southern peas. I mean I don’t think at the time I was like wow southern peas. But I did see people like Ken folk with a bowl and they were shelling peas and I remember them at dinner, right? And and with these with these peas, there would be some of those little little green beans in there like I’m telling you. So those would be included in the pot and they add some extra flavor and texture to it. So, just one of my memories from childhood growing or or being around southern peas and I think it’s what came back to really influence me and love this crop. Um, you know, this is a highly resilient uh climate adapted crop and you can save seeds from from beans, which I want to talk about, such as these southern peas, pretty easily. You only need about 20 ft of isolation. They’re self-pollinating. You’re not likely to get, you know, much crossing. So, I I’ve saved my big red rippers for, you know, the last six seasons. And although I haven’t been selecting for specific traits, you know, I haven’t had to buy any and I’ve always had some ready to go plant in the ground. Um, yeah, you can direct sew these when the temperatures the soil temperatures are warm and they will get growing vigorously. And now uh we are into the month we were late in the month of September and they they’re still going. So they’re going to go up until the first frost. They make a good cover crop in addition to being a food crop. So that’s an important distinction to make. What is a cover crop? Something that benefits the soil, your garden, yourself. Uh in this case with legumes such as these southern peas, they do have nitrogen fixing nodules on their roots which can be uh left in the soil. You can clip the plants at the soil level, remove the tops, compost them. That’s a great way to nutrient cycle for you in your space and those those roots can be left in the soil to go on and benefit future plants or just the the microbes that will be in there. So, uh, that’s the benefit of cover crops and specifically beans, which let’s talk about. Southern peas are not true peas. They’re beans. Now, there’s a big wide world of legumes out there to explore. And these southern peas, as we call them, are one of them. But, as far as I know, the definition between a true pee and a bean is that true peas have a hollow stem. So, when you talk about like a the peas that we generally grow in the cooler times of year in Austin, Texas, I would I would start planting true peas like sugar snap, snow peas, uh in the month of October for, you know, a fall harvest, maybe a a late fall harvest. And, uh, those are those are definitely more sensitive to the heat. So, those are true peas, but these southern peas, as we call them, are are not are not true peas, and they have a a really firm stem. Uh, it’s it’s solid. So, just a little side note there on the southern peas. You can grow so many different varieties and colors. I’ve experimented with uh ones called the peing black, uh the Florida Conch, and the Papago. That one was really good. I even grew one called hogbrain. Um, yeah. So, these these are really just uh different varieties of what you might know to be black eyed peas. So, that’s a little bit of a connection for you that might hit home. Some some varieties of southern peas are more compact than others. These big red rippers like to sprawl. They’re growing up the poles for my shade structure and they have really long pods. They’re super productive. So ones like the Florida conchk, those those are really small kind of a I don’t know if they’re a crowder type pee, but uh they’re they’re really uh smaller pod, smaller peas. And uh you know it can be more challenging to get a lot of production in a backyard garden out of those. But they are very compact. So, if you’re looking for a type uh to use as a cover crop, that could be a good choice for you. Cuz um in one sense, it wouldn’t overtake the garden. Well, if you’re me, I love it when the peas, these southern peas, overtake the garden because it makes it kind of like a jungle. And also, I’ll see so many beneficial insects, pollinators. I’ve even observed hummingbirds taking nectar from the flowers of the southern peas, which I just think is completely amazing. They can be a good host plant for some uh specific butterflies. A really versatile and beneficial crop to grow in a warming climate and they can produce a lot of food for you. They bring me a lot of joy and um they’re one you can save seeds from. So, an allaround awesome thing to consider putting out in your garden. Not only will these vigorous sprawling plants do a good job of helping to conserve moisture in your garden beds, they’ll also act as a really natural way to to have a living mulch and you will have less weeds because they’re going to smother them out. They’re going to outgrow them. Uh that’s something to keep in mind if you’re interplanting or trying to interplant with or adjacent to these these types of crops because uh they might not allow some other crops to grow well. I don’t generally interplant with the southern peas but you know um easily you know 6 feet away uh you and you can take the vines and channel them as they grow to kind of keep them growing. Um, but yeah, I just wanted to give you some of my memories, my and the value that I see in growing southern peas in the garden in in warming climates, areas like Austin, Texas. Uh, this is a really good really good one for me. Has roots in my my childhood, my family memories, and uh I think there’s a lot to be grateful for grateful for when it comes to southern peas. consider growing some and you can you can get some seeds, you can share some seeds. That’s a wonderful thing to do. And uh look for them next spring uh when things start to warm up. Just plant them directly in the soil. You don’t have to start them inside uh and and just like these big red rippers, plant them outside in your garden and let them rip. And I do want to give you some tips in the event that you’re looking to harvest the fresh peas. And with the example of these big red rippers that I’m growing, I’ve got a couple of different phases here as an example. And what I look for is uh, you know, these pods will be, you know, really, uh, nice and firm and green as they start to plump up. And it may take some some time, some experience being able to identify when when they’re at the right stage. But if I’m looking to harvest fresh southern peas, what I want to see is that that bean pod is starting to change from a green color to more of a pale color. And also, you know, it’ll feel more on the the side of a a leathery texture. All right? So, that’s important to note. And you may even be able to feel a little bit of separation uh of the the beans from the pod, you know, once they start to get uh you know the once that pod starts to feel more like paper, you know, and and maybe the beans rattle inside, that is going to be the indicator that they are uh more on the stage of of dry dry beans that you can, you know, store for a long period of time. But back to those fresh peas, you know, if you get them get them just right, uh it can take some practice uh shelling those peas. Um there again, they’re going to be highly perishable. You can probably refrigerate them for a day or two, but it would be best to cook them up straight away with some onions and garlic and fresh herbs from your garden. Um but that’s just a little bit of uh guidance in terms of what to look for. It will take practice, but you know, fresh peas, look for those pods at just the right stage, right? And the for me, the key indicator is the texture of the bean pod. They’re going to be leathery. They’re going to be supple. You’ll feel the moisture in them, but the color will change, right? They should be nice and plump. But this will vary depending on the variety that you’re growing. So, you’re going to have to give it a shot and just uh learn from that. That’s what we have to do in our gardens. Yeah. on the side of uh harvesting for dry beans. It’s much more forgiving in that, you know, again, a papery texture, I do like to shake them and see if they rattle cuz it’s just fun. But the other thing is some peas that I’ve grown like the uh the blue goose, that’s a more of a crowder style. You know, there’s less space in between those peas in the pod. They’re they’re crowded in there. That one I have noticed it will split open. It will pop open. So, not only uh do you do you need to be mindful of the texture, but just that that stage and check them consistently. All right? So, cuz you might end up with some volunteer plants the next season or you might lose out on the potential harvest of those those peas that you want to bring inside and cook up for yourself. Uh, in the case of the southern southern peas here that I’m growing, primarily the big red rippers, they uh they don’t tend to split open. So, I really like them for that. Um, but I’m out here, this is probably my third picking and I’m I’m getting these inside and I I usually dry them inside for a couple of weeks and then I’ll shell them and store them in an airtight container. Sometimes you will get an insect that will creep into these these beans. It’s a like a bean weevil and uh I don’t like them. I don’t like them at all. They there really isn’t much you can do for them, I think. But u enact some some best practices in your garden, which would be a timely harvest and uh rotating your crops may help. But I think in a small garden it’s negligible because uh when you get a an insect like that established, you know, they what’s 10 feet to them, what’s 20 feet to them, it’s it’s not necessarily as applicable. Uh companion planting I also I don’t think is really going to make a significant difference in this case. It’s just something we have to deal with. But uh it it doesn’t end up being a large loss to me. What I will say is that, you know, in particularly in particular, if you’re looking to to save these for cooking up in the future, what I will do is is take them uh once I put them in that that airtight container and I’ll throw them in the freezer for a week or two. You know, uh I I saw this on a video from like the old Alabama farmer. I don’t know if that is the exact name of the channel, but I thought it was a good tip. And uh cuz what I found is if I don’t uh do this step and I leave them in that container, I might see some of those weevils start to come out and they they basically been a larvae in that bean that will develop and come out and they they can chew through a plastic bag. They can certainly chew through the dried beans and that will end up being pretty disappointing for you. And I I know you might have some intrepidation about, well, am I eating an insect in my bean? Well, you know, uh, who knows what else we got going on out there, but it’s all a product of nature and I guarantee you they’re going to taste like beans and you probably won’t notice at all, but if you put them in the freezer for a couple weeks, take them out, then uh you’ll be in good shape. That that has really worked for me. It’s been a a good process. Uh, this is a triedand-true crop in my garden. and I’m going to grow it every summer for the rest of my life as long as I’m in a growing region where I can do so. And that’s what I like. I want to give you a couple of tips on harvesting these southern peas. I like to get out here and do it early in the morning. Mo mostly it’s it’s more comfortable for me at this point. Check out this harvest I just got. Yeah, that’s a bunch of dried southern peas. These are the big red rippers I’ve been talking about. [Applause] You can hear that rattle. Uh, these will crack open easily and you can shell them that way. One of the things that I want to point out to you is you you probably noticed as I was harvesting I was using my pruning shears. And I’ve really gotten accustomed to doing that because you can pull them off with your hands. It often takes two hands because you you may have a a pee that’s on there really good and it could kind of rip or damage the vine. And it’s important to note that the the the place on the plant that that node where the the flower sets and the bean starts to form will continue to do that. So it’s not a oneanddone type of uh issue. You want to keep that part of the plant on there. So if you pull it off accidentally, you’re going to potentially decrease your production. So that’s one reason that I I like to use those printing shears. The other reason is because you’re often going to find ants on your southern pea plants. And ants have a natural relationship with many of our vegetable garden plants. Because you know, although it’s not a literal communication between plants and ants or other predatory insects such as wasp and hornets, uh what the plants have done over time is to create what is referred to as extra floral nectaries. These are either glands or, you know, places on on the plant where they’re producing sugar and exuding that sugar, thus attracting these types of insects uh as as ants can can be attracted to that sugar and they’re getting some food from it. And what this does for the plant is it provides a line of protection because those ants as they discover this food source, the sugary substance that’s coming from from these plants, they will, you know, guard their territory. So, if you get some chewy insects that could potentially come in and eat the flowers and limit the plant’s ability to set bean pods and thus reproduce, you know, that’s a reproductive survival, you know, uh, example of a survival technique for these plants. So, they have adapted to attract these partners and even though the ants don’t know it, they’re participating in the the healthy organic growing of these plants. Now, that presents some issues. Number one, uh ants bite, and a lot of these are fire ants, and occasionally they will eat the the bean pods, but it’s it’s really a very small percentage. So, I don’t see them as a problem other than, you know, getting bit by the ants, which does happen occasionally. But, uh ants on plants are a a hot topic. I have a lot of hot takes on on that subject that I want to talk about in another video. But I don’t seek to control the ants in my garden. Okay? There’s a pro there pros and cons to that. I I know uh fire ants in particular are can be, you know, really negative uh in some instances uh with other elements of biodiversity. But in the in the case of the southern peas, I just want to point out that, you know, having a pair of pruning shears enables you to get in there more accurately and you don’t have to get close to those extra extra floral nectaries that you might if you were just doing it by hand. This is the price of growing food. It’s not 100% convenient. It’s not like going to the grocery store. But when you go to the grocery store, you’re going to pay more. you’re going to get reduced nutrient density and you are likely going to get some, you know, residual pesticides or herbicides on your food, which is not good. I mean, you know, uh maybe it doesn’t bother you, maybe it does. Uh it’s just something to think about. So, getting bit by a fire ant occasionally, I’ll take it. That’s an acute instance and it’s something that I can learn to navigate. But it’s important to know that when you’re growing these types of crops, that is a natural relationship in this ecosystem that has evolved, you know, beyond us. So, should we try to control ants on our plants? No, I don’t think so. Another insect that I often identify on these these types of plants, the the legumes in general, is the bow-legged bug. And, you know, some of the uh the the younger generations look a lot like ants. They have a real big head, but as they mature, they grow like a set of wings, and they do kind of have some bow legs. They’re real goofy. They’re a sapsucking insect. They can cause some damage. By and large, you know, I haven’t seen them, you know, present an issue. Uh that I would would say was was something I look out for. More so the uh the bean weevil that that’s the one that’s most detrimental to my crop. So, just a couple of notes on what we might observe as insect pests. some of those natural relationships. Um, you know, just like the butterflies and the hummingbirds um that are attracted to the sweet nectar of these flowers, you also have some of these predatory insects. There’s a natural relationship there. You need to be aware of it and it shouldn’t stop you from growing this abundant crop. Now, check out more awesome gardening videos on my channel. Like this video and make sure you follow New Garden Road for weekly content. You can grow your own food. Keep it organic. [Music]