When to Plant Cowpeas in Cairns, Tropical Guide
Soil temperature is modelled from Open-Meteo forecast (Cairns), not a live sensor.
What this month normally looks like in Tropical
In October the Tropical zone normally runs 34°C by day and 23°C overnight, with about 53 mm of rain over 5 or 6 wet days. Averages 1991 to 2026, 37 postcodes, SILO.
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This Cowpeas guide is written for the Tropical zone, which takes in Cairns, Townsville and Darwin. Somewhere else? Your postcode picks the right one.
Not your zone? Brisbane Sydney Melbourne Canberra Alice Springs Perth
Also handy: will it frost this week? and what grows in shade.
- Planting window
- Jul to Dec
- 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 Tropical
- Jan -
- Feb -
- Mar -
- Apr -
- May -
- Jun -
- Jul S/D
- Aug S/T/D
- Sep S/T/D
- Oct S/T/D
- Nov S/T/D
- Dec S/T/D
S = Seed Tray T = Transplant D = Direct Sow
Want a nudge when it is sowing time?
One email a week with what is worth planting in the Tropical zone right now, Cowpeas included, plus which veg has jumped in price at the supermarket. Free, and you can stop it in one click.
How to Grow Cowpeas in Tropical 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.
Tropical Growing Tips for Cowpeas
Recommended Varieties
- Black Eyed Pea
Key Challenges
- Wet season rot
- Pod borers
- Pod sucking bugs
Pro Tips
- Sow into warm soil
- Pick often
- Improve drainage
Pests and problems for Cowpeas in Tropical
- Thrips Watch
- Aphids Watch
- Fusarium Wilt and Root Rot Rotate for 3 to 4 years and keep the soil well drained (general guide). Watch
- Cowpea Viruses Control sap sucking insects and use resistant varieties. The Beatsheet lists cowpea mild mottle virus and bean yellow mosaic virus among... Watch
- Wet season rot Wet season rot Watch
- Pod borers Pod borers Watch
- Pod sucking bugs Pod sucking bugs Watch
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
Can you grow cowpeas all year round in Cairns?
No. In the Tropical zone the planting months are Jul to Dec. Outside that window it either bolts, sulks or gets cut down by the weather.
When should I plant Cowpeas in Cairns?
Gardenate lists July to December for the tropics. The Seed Collection chart reads February to October, so the two disagree. Cowpeas are heat and drought tolerant, and the dry season is the safer choice. Sow straight into the garden or start in trays.
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 are the best Cowpeas varieties for Cairns?
Recommended varieties for the Tropical zone include: Black Eyed Pea.
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 Tropical zone, Cairns is its reference city.