When to Plant Cowpeas in Canberra, Cold / Highland Guide
Soil temperature is modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Canberra), not a live sensor.
What this month normally looks like in Cold / Highland
In October the Cold / Highland zone normally runs 20°C by day and 7°C overnight, with about 58 mm of rain over 7 or 8 wet days. The coldest October night on record across the zone was -6.4°C, so a late frost is not out of the question. Averages 1991 to 2026, 15 postcodes, SILO.
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This Cowpeas guide is written for the Cold / Highland zone, which takes in Canberra, Cooma and Bright. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Cairns Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Days to harvest
- about 12 weeks
- Sun
- Full sun
- Water
- Regular
- Spacing
- 18 cm apart
- Soil pH
- 5.5–7.0
Cowpeas, also called black eyed peas, are a warm season legume that handles heat and dry weather better than most beans. Frost will finish them.
Published · By GardenBuddy.au
Planting dates, current conditions and prices on this page update daily.
Photo: Wikimedia Commons
Planting Calendar for Cold / Highland
Cowpeas is not recommended for Cold / Highland.
Gardenate publishes no months for cool or mountain areas and says frost finishes cowpeas. With a season of about 3 months and soil needing to be above 15°C, we rate this zone as not viable. This is our judgement.
Want a nudge when it is sowing time?
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How to Grow Cowpeas in Cold / Highland Australia
- Soil
- Moist, well drained soil in full sun (The Seed Collection). Add compost before planting (general guide).
- Salt
- Moderately tolerant. Handles slightly salty water better than most veggies.
- pH Range
- 5.5-7.0
- Sunlight
- Full sun, 6 or more hours a day (The Seed Collection).
- Spacing
- 18cm apart, 50cm between rows
- Watering
- Keep the soil evenly moist, especially in flowering and pod set, and avoid waterlogging. Water at the base (general guide).
- Good companions
- Cucumber, Sweet Corn, Radish, Summer squash, Eggplant
- Keep away from
- Garlic, Onion, Potato
- Grow before it
- Roots and alliums (Carrot, Beetroot, Onion)
- Grow after it
- Leafy greens and brassicas (Lettuce, Silverbeet, Broccoli)
Give the bed 3 turns before legumes go back in. Beans and peas fix nitrogen, so they leave the bed richer than they found it.
Cold / Highland Growing Tips for Cowpeas
Key Challenges
- Frost
- A season too short for 3 months of warmth
Pro Tips
- Try a faster pea or bean
Pests and problems for Cowpeas in Cold / Highland
Harvesting Cowpeas
When ready: Pods can be picked young and eaten like green beans. For dried peas, leave the pods until they are yellow and brittle (Seed Collection).
How to harvest: Pick regularly to keep the plant producing (Seed Collection). Young leaves can be cooked like spinach (Gardenate).
Storing and preserving cowpeas
How to keep it
- Drying. Leave pods on the plant until yellow and brittle, then shell and dry the peas fully.
What members get
- Soil and weather from your nearest station
- An email when it's time to sow
- Your own garden plan, including planning from a photo
- Price history and price alerts
- Pest risk alerts for your area
- Full salt and canning detail
Common Questions About Cowpeas
When do you plant cowpeas in Australia?
It depends on your climate zone, not the calendar month alone. Planting months by zone:
- Tropical (Cairns): Jul to Dec
- Subtropical (Brisbane): Aug to Oct
- Warm Temperate (Sydney): Oct to Dec
- Cool Temperate (Melbourne): Oct to Dec
- Cold / Highland (Canberra): not recommended
- Arid / Semi-Arid (Alice Springs): Jan to Feb, Sep to Dec
- Mediterranean (Perth): Jan, Oct to Dec
When should I plant Cowpeas in Canberra?
Gardenate publishes no months for cool or mountain areas and says frost finishes cowpeas. With a season of about 3 months and soil needing to be above 15°C, we rate this zone as not viable. This is our judgement.
What soil temperature do Cowpeas need?
Cowpeas germinate best when soil temperature is between 18°C and 25°C.
How do I know when Cowpeas are ready to harvest?
Pods can be picked young and eaten like green beans. For dried peas, leave the pods until they are yellow and brittle (Seed Collection).
What grows well with Cowpeas?
Good companion plants for Cowpeas include: Cucumber, Sweet Corn, Radish, Summer squash, Eggplant.
Are cowpeas salt tolerant?
Fairly. Cowpeas are moderately tolerant of salt and handle slightly salty water better than most veggies.
Which zone am I in?
Type your postcode into the box near the top of the page and it tells you, and links this crop in your own zone if it differs. Or look it up on the grow zone map. This page is the Cold / Highland zone, Canberra is its reference city.