Mississippi Pinkeye Purplehull Pea

Be sure to check out our Cow Pea Growing Guide for more tips & tricks on successfully growing cow peas in your garden.

It is a BICMV virus resistant variety that yields as well as cornet as shown in the Southernpea Trials that Auburn University conducted in 1992-1993. Mississippi Pinkeye Purplehull Pea pods start out bright green and turn to a deep purple color when mature. Each pod will contain up to 14 peas per pod. The peas are light green with a pink eye when fresh and mature to a creamy white color with a maroon eye when dried. Once mature and purple, pods are very easy to shell. Mississippi Pinkeye Purplehull is a great variety for fresh-eating and preserving and has a wonderful creamy texture when slow-cooked. To preserve, blanch, dry, and vacuum-seal to have delicious field peas throughout the year.

We recommend planting Mississippi Pinkeye Purplehull Pea using a walk-behind planter like our Hoss Garden Seeder. Use a #5 seed plate, but always check the hole size and modify if necessary. Because it has a semi-vining growing habit, allow 3-4′ of growing space for each row. Field peas, or “crowder peas”, do very well when planted on double rows. Plant two rows about 6″ apart, then skip over 3-4′ and plant another double row. This will allow you to maximize garden space and produce more vegetables per square foot of the garden. Peas should be harvested when pods are full and shelling is easy. If the pods do not shell easily, they likely need to stay on the plant longer.

Planting Method: direct seed

When to Plant: after last frost

Planting Depth: 1″

Seed Spacing: 3-4″

Row Spacing: 3-4′

Days to Maturity: 70

Disease/Pest Resistance: Blackeye Cowpea Mosaic Virus