This early maturing, daylength-neutral variety of Pigeon Pea is grown as an annual in Northern climates.
Developed in Georgia as an early maturing variety which booms in Florida’s September for an October harvest.
Selected for harvesting mature peas earlier in the season before the risk of frost; this short-season variety is less day-length sensitive, yielding smaller pods on short, sturdy, four-foot tall plants that don't require staking. Pigeon peas are a drought-tolerant, disease-resistant legume with a multiplicity of uses: food, fodder, cover crop, chop & drop, and nitrogen fixation. Harvest & thresh green peas or mature dried beans and add to rice, soups & curries.
Pigeon Peas were originally domesticated in India over 3,000 years ago.
Pigeon Peas, (which are actually a bean) can be eaten raw once shelled, or let to mature on the plant to enjoy some high protein dry beans! Fresh peas can be simmered, sautéed, steamed and fried. Use cooked dried peas in soups, stews, curries, salads, tempeh, hummus, or in traditional daal recipes.
The Pigeon Pea has the ability to form a symbiotic relationship with Rhizobium bacteria to form root nodules that “fix” atmospheric nitrogen-making it a great addition for your soil ecosystem. If you are unsure if you have wild legumes in your area it is recommended to use an inoculant (the same type of inoculant that is used on cow peas) which contain the Rhizobium bacteria. The peas and leaves are also great for animal fodder and as a fast growing windbreak for creating microclimates.
Due to its lateral feeder roots combined with a tap root reaching up to 6 feet, the Pigeon Pea is a great crop for erosion control and drought prone areas. Plants can range from 3 to 12 feet in height and respond well to pruning for shaping and encouraging bushier growth. When pruning, use leaves as a mulch in your garden to add nutrients right back into your soil system.
Being a perennial, the Pigeon Pea requires a long growing season before the first crop of peas arrive. Flowering is photosensitive and is triggered when daylight shortens in the fall. If you live in a cooler climate start the seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before your last frost date in small pots or earlier if planting in larger pots and kept inside a greenhouse or protective structure.
Common names English: Congo pea, pigeon pea, red gram, yellow dahl
French: Ambrévade, pois d’Angole German Straucherbse Indian Arhar, tuver Portuguese:Feijoa-guandu, guandú, guisante-de-Angola
Spanish: Cachito, gandul, quinchoncho
Mandarin: Kachang
SEED SPECIFICATION:
PIGEON PEA
Botanical Name: Cajanus cajan
Weight/Amount: 15 count
Germination temperature:77-90 F
Germination days: 14- 21 Days
Days to Maturity: 4-5 months ( Daylength Neutral Variety)
Sun Preference: Full
Sow Depth: ½ inch
Spacing:12 inches
Seed the Stars is an urban gardening company focused on raising naturally grown and locally adapted seeds. Plants are raised using natural methods and organic practices. Our seeds are non GMO and open pollinated.
When planting out in the garden(direct seeding or transplanting) you have a few choices for spacing. We’ve grown Pigeon Peas in intensive spacing at 1 foot to form a well maintained heavily pruned( chop and drop) hedge, and found 3 feet apart works well for less maintenance. Pigeon peas can be grown to be stand alone shrub/ small tree as well. We have noticed that our black seeded variety has a bushier stockier growth, with beautiful red and yellow streaked flowers, and a very prolific provider. The white/cream seeded variety grows taller and lengthier branches, with a mostly solid yellow flower.
GROWING INSTRUCTIONS AND IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Thank you for supporting our seed shop! To ensure germination success and get the best start with your seeds follow the recommended germination process and use the suggested methods. Our high germination rates can only be achieved using the methods shared below. Seed The Stars can not take responsibility for germination issues using other methods and materials.*
Store seeds in a cool dark place and use them within one year of purchase to maintain viability and high germination rates.
IMPORTANT PRE GERMINATION NOTES:
*Some seeds require soaking or scarification prior to germination. Soaking overnight or up to 24 hours helps to jump start the germination process for seeds with a hard seed coat while scarification involves gently scratching the seed coat to allow water to penetrate and hydrate the embryo.
* Some seeds like lettuce and certain flowers require light for germination. Please check the item listing for this information.
*Certain beans and peas have the ability to form a symbiotic relationship with Rhizobium bacteria to form root nodules that “fix” atmospheric nitrogen making it a great addition for your soil ecosystem. Seeds can be treated with a soil inoculant that contains the Rhizobium bacteria prior to planting to ensure that the beneficial bacteria is present. These inoculants can be purchased online or at some garden stores.
WHEN TO GROW:
- To figure out the best time to start your seeds first locate the days to maturity located in the item description or photo with Seed specifications in our Shop.
- Research your average first frost date(in the fall) and subtract the amount of days the seeds take to grow to maturity that you found listed on the packet.
If you still have adequate time before that first frost date and provide the ideal growing conditions you will likely have a chance at a successful harvest this season.
- To get a head start on your garden you can start seeds indoors 6- 8 weeks before your last frost date if providing the correct temperature, light, and properly sized containers.
STEPS TO GERMINATION:
1. Check the seed packet and click “Read More” under the ETSY item listing for specific instructions and seed specifications.
2. Choose a proper sized container for your seeds. Most seeds should be started in containers such as seeding flats and pots up to 4- 6 inches to better control early growing conditions.
3. Fill containers with consistently moist (not soaked), well draining, and sterile soilless seed starting media. Heavy and poor draining soils can inhibit germination and reusing old soil can transfer organisms or plant diseases that can harm a seedling. We DO NOT recommend peat pods/discs or pots since they tend to wick moisture away from the media.
4. Create a small depression in your media and sow a few seeds at the depth recommended on the seed packet. A good guideline is that most seeds should be sown as deep as the seed is wide.
5. Lightly cover the seeds with media and water them in, make a note for the day of seeding.
*Keep the media consistently moist with a gentle spray or bottom-water containers to keep seeds at the same depth that it was sown. Place the pot/flat in an area that can maintain a temperature range close to the optimal germination temperature on the seed packet. Be careful not to overwater which can cause fungal growth, media compaction, and lead to rot.
*Germination time will vary depending on the environmental temperature. Starting seeds on a germination mat, or an environment indoors where temperature can be better maintained will speed up the germination process.
*Once germination occurs, place your container in a protected area with adequate filtered sunlight and thin each pot/cell to have only one seedling per hole. If you need to continue to grow your seedlings indoors due to outside temperatures being too cold and variable, we highly recommend using grow lights directly above seedlings to prevent leggy plants.
TRANSPLANTING/POTTING UP:
When seedlings have a second set of “true leaves” and have developed a root ball that stays intact when gently removing it from the container they are ready to be gently potted up or transplanted.
“Harden off” the young plants by gradually extending their time in sunlight and the natural elements that they will experience when planted out, therefore they are less likely to go into shock. Once they have acclimated, transplant them out to the garden or a new container and water deeply for the first three days.
If potting up to a larger container, use a mix of potting soil, compost, and something like perlite to create space and good drainage. Plant the seedling at soil level in the new container and water well.
When transplanting into the garden you can add a little compost in the planting hole when transplanting, mixing in with the soil in your garden bed. Plant at soil level in the garden, unless planting tomatoes which can be buried deeply. Top mulch around your plants, keeping compost away from the stem in pots or in the garden with a 1 to 2 inch layer of compost and reapply throughout the growing season. Water deeply for the first 3 days and then when the plant is established, allow the soil to dry out in between watering - watering the soil rather than the leaves in the mornings.
FERTILIZER & AMMENDMENTS:
We fertilize and maintain our plants using organic methods: fish fertilizer, worm castings, compost, Kelp, and OMRI list organic granular fertilizer made of poultry manure.
SEED SAVING:
Some plants cross easily while others self pollinate before there is a chance of crossing so if you are interested in saving seeds, we recommend you do a quick search on each species. If saving seed for the next growing season and you would like your next season plants to grow true to type make sure that you are only growing one variety of the same species or isolate your plants through distance/timing/netting to control cross pollination.
Seeds are ready to harvest for seed when beans and peas are mature, brown, brittle, and lightweight. Harvest each pod or cut off branches laden with pods to prune back branches while encouraging leafy new growth.
HARVEST:
Pigeon peas, (which are actually a bean) can be eaten raw once shelled, or let to mature on the plant to enjoy some high protein dry beans! Fresh peas have a sweet flavor and can be simmered, sautéed, steamed, fried, and frozen for later use. Use cooked dried peas in soups, stews, curries, salads, tempeh, hummus, or in traditional daal recipes.
Happy gardening!
