Mississippi Silver Hull Crowder Pea

Please also check out the African Diaspora Collection Seed Packets and Postcards bundle.

Many brown crowder peas crowd into this lovely 6" silver-sheened southern pea pod on bushy plants. Bred by Mississippi State University and released in 1965, this variety is reported to be resistant to various pests and diseases. Listed by the Slow Food Ark of Taste as a culturally important heirloom! Our seed was grown by Chris Bolden Newsome and his fellow farmers at Sankofa Community Farm at Bartram's Garden in Southwest Philadelphia. Chris grew up eating crowder peas in Greenville, MS, just down the (long) road from the university where this variety was developed.

Days to maturity: 85

Seeds per pack: 75

Germination rate: 9% (total viability: 96%) on 12/08/2024 (below standard) (read more about viability)

Planting / harvesting notes

Direct sow southern peas safely after frost, any time between late May and mid-July. Full sun, plenty of room and airflow. Thin to 2-4" in row, but give at least 12" between rows. Wonderful picked fresh and still lovely once dried to where the seed rattles inside the pod (and much easier to shell!)

Seed keeping notes

Southern peas are self-pollinating, though it is best to isolate different varieties of V. unguiculata (including black-eyed peas, southern peas, cowpeas, and long beans) at least 20 feet, if not much farther to avoid unwanted cross-pollination. At our farm, we give them a few hundred feet of isolation between different varieties. Allow pods to dry fully into a brown crispy state. This is when they are ready to harvest for seed. If necessary, lay them out to dry a little longer in their pods.

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