Pigeon peas are n’t your typicalgarden pea . They are a self-aggrandizing plant – you could even call them a small tree .
On Saturday Rachel and I walk down tothe big patch of pigeon peas we plant last summerand found to our delectation it was lastly metre to commence picking .
We stuffed two shopping bags with pigeon pea cod .
There are at least two different mixture of pigeon peas growing on our plot of land . Some have red - brown pods , the other has green pods with blotched red - browned patches .
If you leave the pods on the pigeon pea plant , they mature to a very good dry out pea . If you pick them a lilliputian earlier , they can be shelled and wipe out like even garden pea plant .
We ended up with a few gallons of green peas after beat . We also start out some dried pea from pods that had already matured on the works .
Last night we had green pigeon pea and Elmer Rice commix with saltfish for dinner . That was good . Hearty and healthy .
A Reader Interjects!
But … let me back up a bit . Reader James Paganacci wrote the following on mySurvival Plant Profiles pagea few day ago :
“ I ’m not sure if you have grow pigeon peas ? They grow nicely in southern Florida ( probably ok up northward also ? ) and last a few years . They fix nitrogen and grow in sandy soils . Although they do better in rich organic land . They do n’t transplant very well , have to be deliberate with the root system or they go into jolt and die . They are very easy to grow , prolific and produce a lot of comestible seeds . I believe the amino group acid visibility is pretty good . This plant is a good addition to the survival plant list . ”
Yes , I agree – so let ’s make this a fully - fledged survival plant profile !
Pigeon Peas: An Excellent Survival Crop
I like hold knowledge and success with a flora before I drop a line a visibility ( thoughthe late survival flora profile I wrote on stinking toe treeswas all base on research , not genuine uprise hr ) which is why I wait for some time to write about pigeon peas .
In North Florida I attempt to originate pigeon peas multiple times and they always succumb to frost before ca-ca more than a few peas . They ’re Clarence Shepard Day Jr. - duration sensitive , which means they wo n’t flower until the crepuscule and wintertime … and that spell doom for your crops .
In South Florida or anywhere with frost - free winters they ’re a very good pick as they fix nitrogen and can handle lousy stain .
Dry pigeon peas are found at Native American grocery stores . They grow readily . Sow them a dyad of inches deep and await a week or two . you may literally hack chunks out of your lawn and plant pigeon pea … and they ’ll thrive .
As a further fillip , the hard forest of pigeon pea shrubs fuels skyrocket stoves like a boss .
Heck , this is another Swiss - US Army knife plant life , so allow ’s make a tilt of its attributes .
Pigeon Pea Uses
Storable dry peas
greenish peas proficient as a vegetable
Green manure
Drought - resistant source of calories
Windbreak
Erosion control
Good chop - and - drop for establishing solid food woods / mulching
woodwind utile for firewood
not bad pasture for creature
fix nitrogen
Breaks up grueling dirt with its strong roots
Can be used to suppress weeds
Good route - side hedge
Impressive , eh ? Yeah . They ’re awing .
How to Plant Pigeon Peas
In January LuisQuinonescommented on one of my previous pigeon pea plant posts :
“ In Puerto Rico mi grannie practice to plant in the same hole at the same timeof planting bush beans dulcet corn and pigeon pea plant . Both the noodle and the pea plant will benefit the corn by fixing the N in the dirt . Plus she fertilize one time only.1 . First to glean was the beans . Feeding the flora and husk to the goats.2 . Second came the corn . Also feed the leftovers to the goats and pigs.3 . Last one the pigeon pea . She will do 2 harvest one for greenish peas and last one for ironic peas . Which she store in old one Imperial gallon milk only for later use that will last for a year . Then fertilise the pigeon pea bush to the goats . This is like the 3 sister system that the American Indian role to do . The difference is they used terminal bean , clavus and squeeze . With the squash you do n’t have to weed . witness your 3 sisters combinations where one plant will benefit from the others . ”
I care that idea . I just planted another round of pigeon pea in a new location and am thinking of adding squash / pumpkin to the game to increase the overall yields . Pigeon peas are a perennial which will bring on for a few age , long after the corn and autumn pumpkin are gone .
you may see how I planted the Modern plot in the TV I posted yesterday :
I ’m not sure how the edible corn will do as we really did n’t loosen up much ground and the weed here is tough ; however , I eff the pigeon peas will take off .
You do n’t want to interplant them , either . you may plant them alone . catch a rough mend of solid ground ? Get it belong with pigeon peas .
3 - 4′ spacing is consummate for pigeon peas , as they get self-aggrandising and branch out .
Pigeon Pea Allelopathy
You might not want to grow pigeon peas too close to some other crops , though . A local farmer told me that pigeon peas make other plant life around them infelicitous and that tree do n’t care them .
I thought this was strange as pigeon peas are often recommend by permaculturalists as a enceinte nitrogen - fixing species .
After a little enquiry I discover they are allelopathic .
grant toeveryone ’s favorite farming company :
“ As with many other leguminous plant , pigeon pea has been shown to have Allelopathic properties which may subdue the increase and performance of the following time of year ’s crop . This should be taken into explanation if orotund field are planted . ”
I imbed pigeon pea around some trees in my North Florida food forest but am incertain whether or not they had an effect on growth , positive or negative .
More tests are obviously need , but for now I would n’t shy away from planting them in developing nutrient timber . They surely do n’t seem to dampen the growth of corn .
Conclusion
Worries about allelopathy away , I grew pigeon peas in an area of beat sand which had been hand over a miniskirt - desert by goats . The peas thrived and the area was rejuvenate to a good gardening fleck .
There are plenty of reasons to develop this excellent staple survival of the fittest craw . It meets the test of being useful for many thing , plus it taste good and provides a good amount of protein unlike many other staples .
If you could arise pigeon peas , do it !
You ’ll find more info atInfogalactic .
And atTropical Permaculture .
And atKew Royal Botanic Gardens .
SPUDOMETER RATING :
Name : Pigeon Pea , gunga pea , sometimes just “ peas”Latin Name : genus Cajanus cajanType : Shrub / minor treeNitrogen Fixer : YesMedicinal : Some uses claimedCold - hardy : NoExposure : Full sunPart Used : Peas , leaves for pasture and mulch , stems for cooking woodPropagation : SeedTaste : GoodMethod of readying : Green peas steam or boiled . Dry pea boil until soft . Peas can also be germinate and used . Storability : Dry peas , very good . Green peas , frozen . Ease of maturate : Totally crazy easyNutrition : Good . High in protein . Recognizability : ModerateAvailability : temperate
