Growing in Miles

Best time to plant cowpea in Miles

Vigna unguiculata

Also called black-eyed pea, black-eyed bean, southern pea

Sow cowpea in Miles in Oct to Feb.

An annual legume, the cowpea can stand upright, trail or climb, and plants vary greatly in size and shape. First farmed in Africa, it ranks among the oldest farmed crops. The cooked seeds are the main food, best known as black-eyed peas, and young pods and leaves are eaten as well.

When to sow in Miles

Miles, QLD is in the subtropical zone. The zone also plants in Mar to Apr, Aug to Sep, but Miles's frost dates make those months risky for a frost-tender crop.

Broadly matches local guides, with some differences.

Your local conditions can shift any months shown here, so treat them as a guide.

Frost in Miles

Frost usually arrives in Miles around mid May and finishes by mid September. In about 1 year in 10 it comes as early as late April or as late as late September, so frost-tender crops are planned around those dates.

From its Bureau of Meteorology station, 1991 to 2020, counting a night at 2°C or lower as a frost. Frost hollows and hillsides can shift these dates by weeks, so ask the growers at your garden too.

On a shared plot: suits a plot

Finishes in a season and stays within its space, so it suits most plots.

Growing details

How to start
Sow directly in the bed
Sowing depth
20-30mm
Plant spacing
15-20cm
Row spacing
50cm
Height
90cm
Germination
7-14 days at 18-25°C
Time to harvest
70-80 days
Frost
Frost tender
Sun
Full sun
Life cycle
annual

These are typical figures, and varieties differ. Your seed packet takes priority.

Cowpea elsewhere

Cowpea across Australia