Cowpeas

All cultivated cowpeas varieties are considered warm season and adapted to heat and drought conditions. Cowpeas typically reach a canopy height of 30 to 36 inches in Missouri, although the more determinate bush types may reach only 24 inches. The seed pods are borne above the leaf axil, making the pods very visible. The seed pod is typically 3 to 6 inches long and has 6 to 13 seeds per pod. The seed weight per bushel is 60 pounds with about 3,000 to 4,000 seeds per pound.

The germination of the seed is rapid at soil temperatures above 65° F. The preferred varieties for Missouri (early types) will set pods in about 60 days and mature in 90 to 100 days with a June planting. Leaves will dry down but may not drop off completely. The relatively fast maturity of cowpeas allows their use as a double crop after wheat or canola in southern Missouri. They would probably mature too late for double cropping in northern Missouri.