Big Boy

Also called Texas Big Boy, Big Boy has been in the seed trade since the 1950”s. It is believed to have originated from genetic material from the Texas Cowpea breeding program but somehow ended up in Georgia. A bag of seed was increased in Georgia and named Big Boy. Big Boy is a popular pea that is described as having large seeds. The dry seed weighs about 27 grams per 100 seed, but it is known that the environment contributes to seed size as well as genetics. The plant habit is low bushy with a flower color of lavender. Maturity is considered late with dry stage being 85-90 days and green shell stage about 65 days. The pods are at foliate level with a scattered location. Pods are 7 inches long with a width of 0.41’’. Pod color at green shell maturity is green and at dry stage is light straw. There are about 15 seeds per pod.
SEED COUNT – 1647 /#

Black Crowder

Black Crowder has a high bushy plant habit, a purple flower and sets pods at and above the foliage. Pods are about 5.5 inches long, green at fresh stage and straw at dry stage. Maturity is considered medium. This pea was released in 1907 making it one of the oldest heirloom varieties we carry.
SEED COUNT – 2185 / #

CT Dimpled Brown Crowder

CT Dimpled Brown Crowder was developed in 1985 with the help of Dr. Earl Elsner. It was developed to replace the Brown Crowder which had lost purity. Seeds at green shell maturity are very closely spaced. This results in a strong crowder appearance. Usually the embryos cause a “dimple” in the testa in each adjacent pea. Also the pea many times has a flattened appearance from the dense arrangement in green pods. Maturity to fresh shell stage is 65-70 days. At dry stage is 85-90 days. Plant type is procumbent and pods are considered scattered. Flower color is lavender.
SEED COUNT – 2174 / #

California Blackeye #5

CABE#5 is the old “stand by” blackeye pea. The plant has a high bushy habit with pods scattered at foliage level. Green shell maturity is 60-65 days and dry stage is 80-85 days. The pod is 7.5 inches long, slightly curved with slight constrictions. Flower color is lavender. This variety remains one of the best yielding and most popular varieties for the garden.
SEED COUNT – 1723/#

California Blackeye #46

Blackeye 46 is a Fusarium-wilt resistant variety. The plant type is more erect than BE#5 and is slightly faster in maturity. The seed is slightly smaller than BE5 and the pod length is shorter. This variety will out yield BE5 in our production areas but not so in the East. Flower color is white and it holds the pods high in the canopy. Green shell maturity is 55-60 days.
SEED COUNT – 2423 /#

Carolina Classic

Carolina Classic is a vigorous, highly productive crowder. This new crowder bears large pods placed well above the foliage. The semi-bush type plant grows to about 20 inches in height and it is ready to pick in about 65 days after planting. Plants are long bearing and can be cut back to a 4 inch stubble to re-grow and produce a later crop. Pods are waxy green with tinges of purple. The fresh pea is light green, tender and large. Carolina Classic makes an attractive dish when cooked and the flavor is better than typical large crowder peas. When mature, the dry pea is tan in color. In addition to being an excellent table pea, Carolina Classic is highly attractive to wild life, most likely because of the large pods displayed above the foliage. Because of its productivity long bearing season, and its ability to re-grow from stubble to produce a later crop, Carolina Classic is well suited for deer.

Champion

Champion was released in 1963 by Texas AES. It is a near-bush type plant with a few short runners. This variety is good for freezing and canning. Pods are concentrated in the top of the plant and free of the foliage. They are dark straw colored and of medium length. Seed are considered large for a cream type. About 50% of the pods will reach green shell stage at about the same time usually around 60 days in our production area. Flower color is white and pods are silver-green at sheller stage.
SEED COUNT- 2987 /#

Chinese Reds

Chinese Red has an erect plant which will grow taller than the BE5 in most cases. Yield per acre is close to blackeye in most soils. It seems to do better than blackeyes in heavier soils. Pods are 6 inches long and are scattered in the plant. Maturity to dry seed stage is 75-80 days. To sheller stage is about 55-60 days. This variety is a popular wildlife and cover crop pea. All cowpeas will add 50-150 pounds of nitrogen per acre if plowed under when the bush is in full bloom.
SEED COUNT – 4817 /#

Colossus

Colossus is a large seeded brown crowder type pea that was released by the South Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station in 1971.Large pod and seed size are the outstanding features of this variety and is very popular in the Carolinas. The large pods are easy to shell and the large seed size is about twice the size of most brown crowders. The easy shelling pods are 7-9 inches long and are green when mature and straw colored when dry. The plants are vigorous and upright with a minimum of side runners. Flower color is purple, pods are bunched at foliage level. Sheller stage peas will be ready in about 60-65 days.
Under widely varying environmental conditions and disease and insect pressures, this variety has always performed well except where THRIP are a problem. Thrip damaged leaves appear malformed and puckered. Care should be taken to control thrip when peas are young. Flower color is purple.
SEED COUNT – 1524 / #

Coronet

Coronet was originated by University of Georgia, Experiment Station in 1975 and is a pinkeye purplehull type pea. The plant habit is upright and compact. Green shell stage pods are purple and have an average length of 16 to 17 cm. Green shell stage peas are green with a light red eye; dry seeds have a dark red or maroon eye. Days to green shell maturity is about 62. Dry seed has smooth and wrinkled seed coat. This variety is a good yielder but is susceptible to some viruses. Flower color is lavender and pod length is 18 cm. As with most older varieties, the bush is considered semi erect.
SEED COUNT – 2224 / #

CT Pinkeye Purplehull

CT Pinkeye was developed by C.T. Smith Co. with the help of Dr. Elsner in 1985. It is a BICMV virus resistant variety that yields as well as coronet as shown in the Southernpea Trails that Auburn University conducted in 1992-93.The habit is procumbent, about 55 cm tall at maturity and flower color is Lavender. Pods are placed above foliage and are scattered. Pods are dark purple at green shell maturity and purple at dry maturity. Fresh pods are 19 cm long and ready to pick in about 67 days This is a very popular fresh market pea.
SEED COUNT – 2400 / #

Dixielee

Dixielee is a kidney shaped pea in green stage with a bush that has a prostrate growth. It will stand 10-12 inches tall and spread 42 inches with its runners. The pods are born above foliage level and are medium green changing to yellow at sheller stage. They are 7-8 inches long and slender having about 14 peas per pod. They are considered medium in maturity producing pods ready to pick in about 68 days. Flower color is purple. This is a very popular variety.
SEED COUNT – 2619/#

Early Scarlet

Early Scarlet is a pinkeye purple hull type that was entered in the Southern Cooperative trial from 1992-1994. The plant is considered medium size from 24-30 inches tall with no basal runners. The pods are light red, 8-9 inches long and shell easily at the green shell maturity stage. Flowering and fruiting are concentrated at the top of the plant. The seed has a light pink eye and is about the same size as Pinkeye Purple Hull BVR but matures about 2-3 days earlier.
Seed Count – 2540/#

Elite

Elite was developed by The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. It has a high bush, erect growth habit with a concentrated pod set. Pods are 5 inches long and easily shelled. Seed size is small to medium, cream colored and not crowded in the pod. It has a high yield potential and is suitable for both canning and freezing. Flower color is white.
Seed count is 3240/#

Iron & Clay

Depending on the germination, the proportion of Iron to Clay will vary from crop to crop. On average, the proportion is 20% Iron and 80% Clay. The Clay is rectangular in shape and light in color. The Iron is pea shaped and dark in color. The bush is knee high with pods scattered all over the plant. The flower is purple for both types. Pods are tan in color, from 6-8 inches long and contain from 12-14 peas. They mature to the dry stage in about 75 days and are easy to combine. They are widely used by the canning industry as field peas and are also a very good wildlife pea. USE ABSOLUTELY NO FERTILIZER.
SEED COUNT – 3776 / #

Knuckle Purplehull

Developed by the Alabama Agri. Experiment Station in 1959, this is an heirloom variety for sure. It has a low bushy plant with the pods scattered at foliage level. The pods are 6 inches long and .35”wide and turn reddish to purple with large seeds that turn brown when dry. Mature fresh peas will be ready to harvest in about 65-70 days. Flower color is purple.
SEED COUNT – 2000/#

Lady Pea

Lady Pea is also an Heirloom pea. It has been around so long it has several synonyms such as Rice, Lady Finger, Lady Edible and Lady Rice. It has a semi erect plant with white flowers. The pods are at foliage level making them easy to pick. It is considered late maturity with fresh peas ready to pick in about 70-75 days. Pods are short with intermediate curvature and slight constrictions. This is a sweet tasting pea but the seed size is small so it takes a little more work shelling them by hand.
SEED COUNT – 5600/#

Mississippi Purple

Mississippi Purple was released by the Mississippi Agri. Experiment Station in 1973. Mississippi Purple, MSPL has less vine then most of the other heirloom varieties of brown crowders. The peduncles are clustered more to the center of the plant. The habit is semi-erect with semi compact foliage and a lavender flower. The first bloom will appear in 38 days. Pod placement is at foliage level and is bunched together. The pods are 18 cm long and 9 cm wide, are slightly curved and at green shell maturity are light purple. At the dry stage they are purple. Each pod will have about 14 seeds in it. MSPL is resistant to Fusarium wilt and to root-knot nematoades. MSPL will produce sheller pods in about 65days.
SEED COUNT - 2560/#

Mississippi Silver

Mississippi Silver, MSSL, was released by the Mississippi Agri. Experiment Station in 1966. This pea has beautiful silvery – colored pods at the green mature stage. It was originally planned as a disease-resistant replacement for the Silverskin Crowders on the fresh market. The vine on the MSSL is similar to the MSPL. The crop of MSSL is set early and is concentrated over the top of the row slightly above the vines. The green shell maturity was reached in about 64 days. The green pods are smooth, silvery color occasionally touched with streaks or spots of light rose. They average 7.13 inches long and .35 inches wide. The pods open easily making it a very popular pea. The green peas of MSSL are typical of the brown crowder group. They are large, light green to cream in color at green shell maturity, and flattened or crowded on the ends. Like MSPL, MSSL is resistant to all three races of Fusarium Wilt and the four out of five types of root-knot nematodes common in the U.S.
SEED COUNT -2113/#

Pinkeye Purplehull BVR

PEPHBVR was selected as a single plant from a population of Pinkeye Purplehull containing about 30% BICMV resistant plants. It was released in 1984 by The College of Agriculture of the University of Georgia. BVR stands for resistance to blackeye cowpea mosaic virus. (BICMV) PEPHBVR has a semi erect vine with a lavender flower. Pods are above the foliage, about 18 cm long and are purplish-green at green shell maturity turning purple when dry. The seed is green at fresh market maturity turning to creamy white at the dry stage and has a maroon eye. This is the main PEPH variety for the fresh market. Fresh pods are ready in about 65 days.
SEED COUNT – 2528 / #

Purplehull Big Boy

This variety was released in 1979.The PHBB plant habit is considered prostrate because it spreads out with runners that can extend 3 ft. The pods are at foliage level; about 9.5 inches long and are purple at green shell maturity. There are about 14 seeds per pod. The flower is lavender color. It is considered late maturity with dry seed in 90-100 days. Green shell maturity is about 60-65 days. The seed are almost as large as the big boy.
Seed count is 2046/#

Quickpick Pinkeye

Quickpick is a determinate pinkeye purple hull southern pea developed for the fresh market. It is suitable for either machine or hand harvest. Quickpick is generally more synchronistic in setting pods and produces greater machine harvested yields than “Texas Pinkeye Purple Hull”. Quickpick does not have a tendency to vine as other pinkeyes do.

Origin, Quickpick was developed by Louisiana Agricultural Experiment Station.
Quickpick has an erect, determinate, non-vining, bush-type plant habit. Flowers are white. Pod set is highly synchronous. There are two to three pods per peduncle and pods are positioned at or above the foliage level. Pods are green when immature and dark purple at the mature-green stage. Pods are straight, approximately 8 inches long and about 8mm in diameter. There are 11 peas per pod. Fresh peas are green with a light-pink eye and slightly kidney shaped. The weight of 25 fresh peas is approximately 10.75 g. The dry seed has a smooth to wrinkled cream testa with a medium, maroon eye.
The weight of 100 dry seed is approximately 19.25 g.
SEED Count – 1920 / #

Red Ripper

Red Ripper is mainly used as a cover crop or a wildlife pea. It is a high bushy type plant that is considered late maturing. Pods are at foliage level and location is scattered. The pods are about 6 inches long and .32 inches wide. Curvature is slight, constrictions are slight, color – green shell maturity is green and dry maturity is dark straw. Seed shape is globose. It is a non-crowder with smooth testa and maroon color at dry stage.
Seed size is considered small with about 3000 seed/#.

Sa Dandy

Sa Dandy is a medium maturing variety with a bushy plant. The leaf surface is glossy. The leaf color is dark and the flower is white. Pods are at foliage level and bunched. They are medium sized and straight with slight constrictions. The pods at green shell maturity are green and when dry are light straw colored. The seeds are a non crowder and ovate to ovoid in shape. They have both smooth and wrinkled seed coats and are cream colored.
They are considered small with a seed count of 3111/#

Summertime pinkeye

Summertime pinkeye peas are a summer delight. These peas are ready to pick fresh 60 days after planting. The pods are borne above the foliage for easy picking and shelling. Summertime is exceptionally heavy yielding and has a long bearing season. It is ideal for home gardening and the fresh market. The shelled pea is bright green with a pink eye. When cooked, the pea retains this bright green color and makes a broth that is almost clear. The flavor and texture of the Summertime pea are excellent.

Texas Cream 8

Texas Cream 8 is a high yielding pea that is very popular in the garden. It has a high bushy plant with dark glossy leaves. It has a smooth seed coat and a white flower. Seeds are considered small with a smooth and wrinkled seed coat. Pods are above foliage making it easy to pick, green when mature and dark straw colored when dry. The pods have a medium to long size with slight constrictions and the curvature is intermediate.
Seed count is 2947 seeds/#

Texas Cream 12

Texas Cream 12 has a high bushy plant habit with dark green leaves and a dull luster. The flower is white. The maturity is considered medium to late. Pods are about 5” long and .34” in width. They are at foliage level and scattered. Pods are greatly curved and have slight constrictions, are green at maturity and dark straw colored at dry stage. They set on the peduncle like fingers meaning they are angled toward the sky at first. The seed shape is oblong and is considered semi crowder shape. Testa is wrinkled and smooth and size is medium.
Seed count is 3555/#

Texas Cream 40

Texas Cream 40 has an erect plant habit with dark green foliage with a dull luster. Flower color is white and maturity is late. Pod placement is at and above foliage and bunched. Pod length is about 6”long and 0.37” in width. Pod color at maturity is green and dark straw at dry stage. Constrictions are slight and curvature is slight. Seed shape is kidney; class is non crowder with a wrinkled and smooth seed coat or testa. There are about 13 seeds per pod.
Seed Count is 3294/#

White Acre

White Acre has a semi erect plant and dark green leaves with a glossy luster. The flower color is white. Maturity is late with pods at foliage level, scattered and 6-7” long. There are 16 seeds per pod. Pod color at maturity is green turning light purple. At dry stage they are dark straw colored. Constrictions are very slight and curvature is medium. Seed shape is ovate to ovoid with a wrinkled seed coat. Seed color is cream and size is very small.
Seed Count – 4308/#.

Zipper Cream

Zipper Cream was developed by The Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences University of Florida, Gainesville. It was developed in 1964 and released in 1970 after determining it was stable. The outstanding characteristics of this pea are the large size for a cream pea and the easy shelling ability.
Plant habit is low bushy with pods scattered at foliage level. The pods are medium green changing to light straw at maturity. Under certain conditions a slight purplish cast may develop. The pods are straight or slightly curved and about 6 inches long. Seed shape is crowder. There are about 15 seeds per pod. This is one of the best yielding southern peas on the market and a favorite with gardeners.
Seed is large with about 2100 seeds per pound.