Cow peas, handle some shade they say. So here is my experiment so far. Over seeded in sorghum and turnips on one and just turnips in the other, put in late. August will see it get added clover in both then we'll see about the Sept. Rye.
Posted that on the run from phone. I got a couple of the shaded clover hay mix plots in there as well. The point is if your looking for a annual attraction ,soil building options that is different than other plantings around the woods. Cow peas that will frost out, though in the cover of a wood lot not as quickly as an open field, may work for you. It can also add cover for a fall clover planting. They can also hold up against a wooded plots fall leaf drop being a tall plant unlike young clovers. These shaded areas were not hit as hard by seed stealing critters as my open big sunny plots, one of which was stripped nearly bare.
So a check on cow peas 1. You can bury them pretty deep and they will grow.. a. New beans just emerging as others are on 3 leaf growth. This helped avoid that first critter attack. 2. Many beans in various stages of being nipped. They went from just a stem to nipped to first node. a. These beans ALL had new nodes and the beginnings of new leaves. This is way better than with . soybeans
These cowpeas ,so far, are growing pretty well. Even in the standing water I saw yesterday from the non stop rain we've had.. Remember these are not for pods. I've never gotten pods up here in the north from my cow.peas, greens only. They are a vining cowpea so they take critter browse very well. Time and weather will tell I suppose with picture along the way..
Since I was out taking " proof" pics here are the beans, BTW you farmers is that one bean pic a bug or disease issue? It seems to be on more than a few. Some areas look bare but have just emerging beans. The beans keep coming up 3 weeks in...which isn't a bad thing.
None of you guys know what that disease is? I'm thinking bacteria blight due to all the wet weather...Though the leaves are dying the beans are trying to put out New leaf.
didn' have phone for pics on me, but walked the bean plot...the beans are up to my knees and doing well...weedy but healthy. the lower bean plot was hit hard and it mainly sorghum and stems trying to resprout. The very very weedy, not shaded beans in upper plot got a spraying to kill weeds. Now I wasn't sure they would or will survive. the spray is slowly killing the weeds. the bean tops have bent over but not actually wilted. these are cowpeas, spray says good for soybeans, alfalfa, clovers and trefoils. it's a small area I can put in grains if need be..never know unless ya try.
Today after some rough storms,rolling through, I took phone out with me for pics. Storms hammered the shade beans but they are still good. Also took a few pics of how even stems are re-growing after being eaten or effected wilt.
Well this will be my last post on the cow peas shade experiment. For me and my goals it did great. The last 3 pics I'll post on them.
It rained todAy so A.J.'s walk was a check plots one. ...Turkey hit plots hard but I have plenty of time to over seed in what did come up. I checked the cow peas because the farmers shell beans are totally yellow now...Well knock me over with a feather! , I have pods. They have been nipped back but because they vine. Only tops were nipped the pods are mid and low height. If we don't get a frost until mid to late Oct. Pods should be good. This has turned out WAY better than expected.
Thanks they seemed to recovered, I just can't believe the number of pods and all the new growth. The more they are eaten the better they look. They have actually done better in these shade areas than in the open fields...go figure.
Yah ..I know I said I was done with this post. But today I drove by all the farmers soybeans and the leaves were yellow and falling. Of course full of beans but dead all the same. Then I went to check the stands and blinds after some pretty bad winds here. I took the phone with me. These cow peas will be a,staple on my place as long as I can find decent prices. Still green, still growing and loaded with pods in late September. Deer are hitting them hard.
