Heirloom Seeds & Poultry
1878 230th Street, Calamus, IA 52729
(563) 246-2299
COWPEAS
(43 varieties to choose from) UPDATED FOR 2024
Culture is very similar to beans. Plant when the soil is warm. Many view these as a Southern crop. All of these do fine here in Iowa. They are delicious fresh-shelled and cooked. Or you may dry them before shelling and use them as dry beans. They make a rich broth and are an excellent food product. Try some this year. We continued tackling Tom Knoche’s cowpea freezer storage this year and had great success. We had more that we will increase further and will be available for 2025.
Big Boy Greenhull
Big Boy Greenhull- 80 days- typical sized black-eyed pea with a white seed color and a beige to tannish hilum. Originally from the collection of Faxon Stinnett an early Seed Savers Exchange member from Oklahoma. and collector of many tomatoes and beans.( 30-50 seeds/Pkt.) $2.75 Certified Organic Seed
Cow
Cow- 70 days- 9 inch pods that have 20 or more black seeds per pod on extremely productive plants that produce multiple crops. The most productive cowpea I have ever grown. This was in Tom’s collection with no documentation other than the word Cow written on the packet. 1 oz. Pkt. $3.00 Certified Organic Seed UNAVAILABLE FOR 2024
Early Lady
Early Lady - 70 days - (aka “Lady Peas”) Plants are extremely productive, but to pick for the dry stage you must pick prior to total dryness. They will shatter if allowed to totally dry. Please remember the seeds of these are very small so don’t plant them too close together. This has white seed with pods in bunches. 1 oz. Pkt. $2.00 Certified Organic Seed
Georgia Long
Georgia Long- 75 days- looks very much like a yard long bean to me both in pod type and seed characteristics. Many pods were easily 30 inches long with smaller seeds. Plants were not incredibly viney and the pods were somewhat fibrous at a very young Another one from the collection of Faxon Stinnett.. Pkt. (30-50 seeds) $3.00 Certified Organic Seed
Maroon Speckled Whippoorwill
Maroon Speckled Whippoorwill - 80 days- typical whippoorwill type with smooth seeds and maroon colored speckles on a base color of tannish brown. From the Jack Rice collection an early member of the Seed Savers Exchange who had an extensive collection of lima beans and cowpeas. 1 oz. Pkt $2.50 Certified Organic Seed