Big Red Ripper Southern Peas, Cowpeas, 1850's Heirloom, Organic
$3.25
$3.50
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange - Good flavored table pea with 10 in. pods containing as many as 18 large peas per pod! Use fresh or dried. Reddish-green pods are borne high and are easy to see in the foliage. Resistant to very hot, dry summers. Vigorous, sprawling vines. Very popular with our Texas customers. Small packet has about 66 seeds. 1850's Heirloom
Vigna unguiculata
Certified Organic
Heirloom
Especially well-suited to the South-East
85 seeds
Instructions - Need warm soil to germinate; sow a month after the last frost. Grow in the same manner as pole beans or along a trellis, sow seeds 3/4 in. deep, 4 in. apart, thinning to 8 in. One planting along a tall trellis will produce well all season.
Easily grown
Thrive in hot weather
Tolerant of a wide range of soils
Flavor - The flavor is similar to southern peas but with a drier, nutty quality. Sweet and mild, resembling the combined flavor of asparagus, mushrooms, and beans. Braid or tie into knots before cooking. The young leaves and stems are also edible.
Firefly Farm & Mercantile may substitute seed vendors from time to time because of the availability
Fagiolini dell'occhio Cowpea, 1950 Heirloom, Organic
$3.45
$3.75
This one may not be available for 2023. We are going to close sales on this one until we have a little more clarity on this one.
The Seed Savers Exchange - This highly productive and beautiful yardlong bean bears pale-violet flowers and pods uniformly distributed throughout the plants. Tall vines require a strong trellis, with each stalk producing 1-2 solid-green pods encasing 16-20 brown-red, kidney-shaped seeds. Tender, juicy pods mature mid-season, reach 2' long, and have excellent flavor. This cowpea is especially delicious when eaten as a tender green bean. Grown by Vasco Marconi since at least the late 1950s in Chicago, this variety has been stewarded by family member Patti Trotsky of Naperville, Illinois, since the late 1990s. Patti donated seeds to Seed Savers Exchange in 2013. 70-80 days to maturity. Organic.
Organic & Open-Pollinated
Highly productive vines with violet flowers
Green pods grow up to 24 inches long with 16-20 seeds each
Delicious as a tender green bean
New for 2021
50 Seeds per packet
Instructions - Cowpeas thrive in hot temperatures and full sun. Sow seeds outdoors when the soil has fully warmed. Thin to 3-6" apart. Seeds will germinate in 5-7 days.
Direct Seed: 2" Apart
Direct Seed: 1" Deep
Rows Apart: 36-48"
Light: Full Sun
Firefly Farm & Mercantile may substitute suppliers based on availability
We are always adding new varieties so please check back often at Seeds - Vegetables (fireflyfarmandmercantile.com)
Liana Asparagus (Yardlong) Bean, Organic
$3.25
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange - One of the earliest maturing asparagus beans. Like most black-seeded varieties it does well in the North and the South. Since it is day-neutral, in the South it can be planted for early market sales, late for a fall harvest, or year-round in the greenhouse. Green pods up to 23 in. long, but are best picked at 18 in. or smaller (less than pencil-width). A market favorite. Vigna unguiculata ssp. sesquipedalis
Certified Organic
Heirloom
Especially well-suited to the South-East
40 seeds
Instructions - Need warm soil to germinate; sow a month after the last frost. Grow in the same manner as pole beans or along a trellis, sow seeds 3/4 in. deep, 4 in. apart, thinning to 8 in. One planting along a tall trellis will produce well all season. Harvest when pods reach 12 to 15 in. before the seeds fill the pods.
Easily grown
Thrive in hot weather
Tolerant of a wide range of soils
Flavor - The flavor is similar to southern peas but with a drier, nutty quality. Sweet and mild, resembling the combined flavor of asparagus, mushrooms, and beans. Braid or tie into knots before cooking. The young leaves and stems are also edible.
Firefly Farm & Mercantile may substitute seed vendors from time to time because of the availability
Michels Cowpea, 1941 Heirloom, Organic
$3.45
$3.95
This one may not be available for 2023, we are going to close sales on this one until we know more.
The Seed Savers Exchange - Donated to SSE by Audrey (Michels) Kreutzer of Kansas. Originally collected by her brother, Vince Michels, in 1941 from a Tennessee farm field that his Army unit marched by. A family favorite in bean soup. Cream-colored seeds with brown mottling, 8-10" pods with 10-20 seeds per pod. Sprawling vines with purple flowers. 85-95 days.
Organic & Open-Pollinated
Sprawling vines with purple flowers
Green pods grow 8-10 inches long with 10-20 seeds
Cream-colored seeds with brown mottling
85-95 days
Instructions - Cowpeas thrive in hot temperatures and full sun. Sow seeds outdoors when the soil has fully warmed. Thin to 3-6" apart. Seeds will germinate in 5-7 days.
Direct Seed: 2" Apart
Direct Seed: 1" Deep
Rows Apart: 36-48"
Light: Full Sun
Firefly Farm & Mercantile may substitute suppliers based on availability
We are always adding new varieties so please check back often at Seeds - Vegetables (fireflyfarmandmercantile.com)
Whippoorwill Southern Peas, Cowpeas, 1700's Heirloom, Organic
$3.25
$3.75
Southern Exposure Seed Exchange - Brought to the Americas from Africa during the slave trade. Grown by Jefferson at Monticello. Once the standard for southern peas, this variety is drought-tolerant and will grow in almost all soils. 5 ft. vines produce extended harvests of 7-9 in. green pods. Small seeds are light brown with dark speckles, good eaten green or dried. Small packet has about 85 seeds. 72 days. Vigna unguiculata
Certified Organic
Heirloom
Especially well-suited to the South-East
85 seeds
Instructions - Need warm soil to germinate; sow a month after the last frost. Grow in the same manner as pole beans or along a trellis, sow seeds 3/4 in. deep, 4 in. apart, thinning to 8 in. One planting along a tall trellis will produce well all season.
Easily grown
Thrive in hot weather
Tolerant of a wide range of soils
Flavor - The flavor is similar to southern peas but with a drier, nutty quality. Sweet and mild, resembling the combined flavor of asparagus, mushrooms, and beans. Braid or tie into knots before cooking. The young leaves and stems are also edible.
Firefly Farm & Mercantile may substitute seed vendors from time to time because of the availability