Chop and Drop Cow Peas

[Meadowlark]

This thread demonstrates how I use cow peas in a chop and drop process in my garden to organically replenish the soil to the status of “No N-P-K” required without the use of synthetic fertilizers. In summer, the peas have a maturity cycle of just over 60 days making it possible to have multiple crops during a growing season.

The demonstration row, nicknamed @big rockpile, is 75 ft long and was planted in pink eye peas about April 1 this year. On June 3, it was shredded in the first round of chop and drop as shown below.

The beauty of using cow peas for soil replenishment is that with just one handful of seeds, for well under $5, you can perform this chop and drop multiple times in the growing season without ever having to replant/reseed … if you leave sufficient numbers of mature peas to reseed each cycle. In the photo below, the peas from that initial shredding have germinated and are on their way to a second cycle of chop and drop. Note all the organic matter now in that row.

The second cycle progressed into July, once again growing large amounts of great organic matter.

By the end of July, they had developed a good stand of matured peas suitable for picking and/or eating. This time, I elected to harvest a small basket full of peas to eat fresh because they are so delicious.

As you can see in the photo below, there are still many peas left behind to reseed the third cycle.

You can use a lawn mower or whatever to “chop” or you can do this manually with a machete but that’s hard work in the Texas summer. With a mower, it takes less than 2 minutes to shred the entire 75 ft. row. This leaves a natural seed bed in which the peas left behind will germinate in a matter of days and begin the cycle all over again.

By early October, this third cycle of peas will be mature and can be harvested again and/or you can take a gamble on a fourth cycle which I have done in some years.

In a season with adequate rainfall (which this is not), this process will easily generate over 300 pounds of green organic matter each cycle totaling approximately 13 pounds of organic matter added per foot of row (assuming three cycles).

According to research performed at Texas A&M, the primary pathway for nitrogen transfer from a legume to the soil is through decomposition of dead legume plant material. The root system and unused leaves and stems of the legume decomposes via soil microbes over time. Nitrogen contained in this plant material is released and is available to other plants.

Significant green organic matter added to the soil and natural nitrogen made available for the next planting. …all for less than $5 worth of seed. Nothing I am aware of in gardening can even approach that kind of efficiency/cost ratio.

 

[pepper]

I am going to try this, thanks for sharing. Although I would have eaten those watermelons, they look delicious.. or would have been before you played football with them lol

 

[Meadowlark]

Sledge-o-matic in action

gallagher sledge o matic watermelon - Bing video

www.bing.com

 

[pepper]

Sledge-o-matic in action

That dude is hilarious! But the wrong video came up, no watermelons were harmed. Here is one I found on youtube of him

 

[Heirloom farmer1969]

This thread demonstrates how I use cow peas in a chop and drop process in my garden to organically replenish the soil to the status of “No N-P-K” required without the use of synthetic fertilizers. In summer, the peas have a maturity cycle of just over 60 days making it possible to have multiple crops during a growing season.

The demonstration row, nicknamed @big rockpile, is 75 ft long and was planted in pink eye peas about April 1 this year. On June 3, it was shredded in the first round of chop and drop as shown below.



View attachment 99229


The beauty of using cow peas for soil replenishment is that with just one handful of seeds, for well under $5, you can perform this chop and drop multiple times in the growing season without ever having to replant/reseed … if you leave sufficient numbers of mature peas to reseed each cycle. In the photo below, the peas from that initial shredding have germinated and are on their way to a second cycle of chop and drop. Note all the organic matter now in that row.



View attachment 99230



The second cycle progressed into July, once again growing large amounts of great organic matter.



View attachment 99231



By the end of July, they had developed a good stand of matured peas suitable for picking and/or eating. This time, I elected to harvest a small basket full of peas to eat fresh because they are so delicious.



View attachment 99232



As you can see in the photo below, there are still many peas left behind to reseed the third cycle.



View attachment 99233



You can use a lawn mower or whatever to “chop” or you can do this manually with a machete but that’s hard work in the Texas summer. With a mower, it takes less than 2 minutes to shred the entire 75 ft. row. This leaves a natural seed bed in which the peas left behind will germinate in a matter of days and begin the cycle all over again.



View attachment 99234



By early October, this third cycle of peas will be mature and can be harvested again and/or you can take a gamble on a fourth cycle which I have done in some years.

In a season with adequate rainfall (which this is not), this process will easily generate over 300 pounds of green organic matter each cycle totaling approximately 13 pounds of organic matter added per foot of row (assuming three cycles).

According to research performed at Texas A&M, the primary pathway for nitrogen transfer from a legume to the soil is through decomposition of dead legume plant material. The root system and unused leaves and stems of the legume decomposes via soil microbes over time. Nitrogen contained in this plant material is released and is available to other plants.

Significant green organic matter added to the soil and natural nitrogen made available for the next planting. …all for less than $5 worth of seed. Nothing I am aware of in gardening can even approach that kind of efficiency/cost ratio.

Thanks for sharing that Meadowlark.
You have taught this old dog a new trick in cover cropping.

 

[skinyea]

Great info. Thank you!

 

[big rockpile]

All fine and dandy but my Garden is 20X20 and during the Summer grow what I can. Need a Cover Crop through the Winter.

big rockpile

 

[Meadowlark]

The third and final generation of cow peas(for this season), all grown from less than $5 worth of seed, needs to be turned under to free up some space for winter crops. They could continue to grow for another month+ and maybe even seed for a fourth generation of peas, but their space is needed for higher priority plants.

It's been a great run of chop and drop and soil building from these plants.

 

[big rockpile]

So raising Cow Peas is better than Vegetables?

big rockpile

 

[Meadowlark]

So raising Cow Peas is better than Vegetables?

big rockpile

Cow peas are vegetables...one of my favorites to eat.

They provide the huge bonus of also being a very efficient soil builder which I've tried to explain to you multiple times to no avail.

Now these will become feed for some great winter onions.

 

[big rockpile]

So all you eat is Cow Peas? I like variety so have Peppers, Bush Green Beans, Okra, Zucchini and Brussel Sprouts in my little Garden.

Thinking of Winter Wheat for cover crop and will work in later.

big rockpile

 

[Meadowlark]

So all you eat is Cow Peas? I like variety so have Peppers, Bush Green Beans, Okra, Zucchini and Brussel Sprouts in my little Garden.

Variety?

Right now, I have over 45 different varieties of veggies planted or growing. Last spring, I had over 55 different varieties (see the thread https://www.gardening-forums.com/threads/if-variety-is-the-spice-of-life.28489/)

The current list...right now I have growing/planted in my garden:

• 3 different varieties of pole beans,
• 5 different varieties of potatoes,
• 3 different varieties of tomatoes,
• Jicama,
• sunchokes,
• 3 different varieties of peppers with multiple plants,
• pink eye purple hull peas,
• sugar snap winter peas,
• Prizm kale,
• lieutenant broccoli,
• early wakefield cabbage,
• red cabbage,
• sprouting broccoli,
• Simpson lettuce,
• iceberg lettuce,
• boy choy,
• daikon radish,
• Annabelle radish,
• purple top turnips,
• collards,
• Bloomsdale spinach,
• giant noble spinach,
• Malabar spinach,
• Chinese winter melons,
• cauliflower,
• garlic,
• red giant carrot,
• little finger carrot,
• Nantes carrot,
• Detroit dark red beets,
• 1015 onions seeded,
• green onions seeded,
• hundreds of pounds of Murasaki sweet potatoes waiting to be harvested and
• hundreds more pounds of Asian sweet potatoes waiting to be harvested.

I also have a 14 ft x 80 ft section of garden in rotation cover crop of alfalfa, Elbon rye, and Vetch.

When the above-mentioned sweet potatoes are harvested, I will plant white clover, turnips, and winter rye in that 8 ft x 80 ft section and leave both sections of rotation/cover in until next spring. In a few weeks, I'll plant about 300 1015 red and yellow onions plants which will produce our annual supply of onions. I'll add some more brassicas as time goes by to insure a continuous supply of fresh veggies all winter and into next spring.

Is that enough variety for you?

 

[skinyea]

So you just eat cow peas?

 

[big rockpile]

All in a 20X20 Garden.

I'm impressed.

big rockpile

 

[YumYum]

Mr Rockpile you should have known Meadowlark grows some variety if you have been reading this forum. I'm ashamed. LOL.