Open-air cowpea planting time and method

Cowpea, also known as famous beans , rice beans, and climbing beans, is a vegetable with high nutritional value. It is easy to grow, easy to manage, and has high yields. It is a "short, stable and fast" crop, and is therefore favored by the majority of growers. So what is the time and method for planting cowpea in the open air? Let’s learn more about it below.

Open-air cowpea planting time

Cowpea can generally be planted in spring, summer and autumn. However, the harvest time of open-field spring planting is long and the quality is good. In North China, seeds are generally sown in the open field from the last frost period to mid-April, and the young pods can be harvested in mid-June and can be harvested until mid-to-late August. The specific planting time varies depending on the geographical location and climatic conditions. It is recommended to base it on the actual situation.

How to plant cowpea in the open air

1. Land preparation and fertilization

When planting cowpeas in the open air, try to avoid low-lying areas with poor drainage. You should choose loose, breathable, well-drained, fertile sandy loam soil, and the selected planting area should not have been planted with similar leguminous crops for two years or more. After selecting a planting site, till the soil and apply appropriate basal fertilizer. Generally, 1500 kg/667m2 of organic fertilizer is used as the main fertilizer, and an appropriate amount of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compound fertilizer can also be applied to improve soil fertility.

2. Germination and sowing

During the suitable sowing period, soak the seeds for about 20 hours, take them out and put them into a cloth bag, place them in a moist and heat-insulating place indoors, rinse them once a day, and they can be sown when the sprouts have seeds.

3. Seeding density

When sowing, the seed amount per mu is about 2.5kg, the sowing depth is about 2cm, 3000-4000 holes per mu, and 3-4 seeds in each hole. After germination, weak and diseased seedlings need to be pulled out, leaving 2-3 plants in each hole.

4. Build a trellis to guide vines

When the seedlings grow to 30-40cm, a trellis should be set up in time to guide the vines, and a herringbone support should be set up. The time for guiding vines should be chosen after 10 am on a sunny day to reduce vine breakage. Beans mainly depend on the main vine to produce pods. Therefore, the side branches below the first inflorescence of the main vine should be removed to increase the number of inflorescences and pods of the main vine, thereby improving the bean yield.

5. Water and fertilizer management

If the soil moisture is sufficient, watering is generally not required during the seedling stage. When the seedlings have all emerged, small amounts of watering are applied and the soil is tilled and hoeed in time. Top dressing is mainly nitrogen fertilizer, with about 10 kg of quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer per mu. If organic fertilizer is applied, it can be spread between rows or applied by digging shallow trenches.

6. Harvesting points

It takes about 60-80 days from sowing to harvesting cowpeas, and the standard for harvesting is when the beans are full and the seeds have just appeared. Appropriate topdressing should be applied in the later stage of harvest, usually mainly urea.

In general, it is very simple to grow cowpeas in the open air, and management techniques such as sowing, trellis construction, water and fertilizer are not difficult to master. However, the best time to plant cowpeas must be determined based on the climatic conditions of your location, and corresponding planting measures must be taken to effectively improve the yield and quality of cowpeas.