Recently, I acquired some pigeon pea seed in an effort to find an alternative food source for feeding livestock due to the ever-increasing prices of grain feed right now. In addition, you have to worry about the reality that many grain producers are battling bouts of drought and floods depending on what country they are coming out of. On top of that, some countries are experiencing war and civil unrest, so the fields aren’t being taken care of as well as they normally would be. Is that enough or should we go further down that rabbit hole? We need to be aware of the dangers ahead and begin turning this ship in a more viable direction.
We need to find alternatives that we can not only grow in our own environment but that won’t require 100 acres to produce a decent portion of food. While I will be dedicating a significant piece of my acreage to growing this shrub for livestock feed research next year, I’ll still continue to have plenty of other plants growing happily elsewhere. I currently have two that are upwards of 20 feet and their branches are loaded down with the weight of hundreds and hundreds of flowers and pods.
The biggest caveat to this plant that I have found thus far is that it can take anywhere from 180 to 200 days just to produce the pods and you absolutely must get it in ground as soon as the soil warms up. You can’t assume that you’ll have plenty of time because everything I’ve read about it says that it abhors cold weather, but I’m going to try my absolute best to nurse it through the winter and see how it fairs. Do expect an update sometime after winter as well as pictures to show the process and if it’s successful, you might be able to replicate it.
Pigeon Peas have so many benefits and a recent one I discovered was that you only need one plant as they are self-fertile and do not require two or three just to produce a decent portion of pods. You could probably even get away with growing one in a very large pot, as long as it gets the required 8 hours of sunlight it needs. While there are a few varieties of pigeon pea, the most commonly available varieties will likely produce yellow flowers but there are some varieties that produce red flowers. Be aware that only those who live in zone 5 to zone 9 will be able to successfully grow this plant.
For human consumption, you’ll need to decide on when you want to harvest them so that you can decide in what form they can be ate. If you harvest them while they are still green, you can eat them just like you would a typical blue lake variety green bean but if you leave them on the plant to dry, they will be consumed like black eyed peas.
If you are unsure of what dishes you could make for your family with these, search for recipes under Dal, which is an Indian dish or take another direction and make Jamaican rice with pigeon peas. A simple google search should net you a fair amount more of recipes for meal ideas.
When you plant your pigeon pea, be sure to plant them at the appropriate depth of 1/2 inch and due to the tender rooting system, you’ll need to direct plant them in ground after the danger of frost has officially passed. Be sure to keep a steady watering schedule and remember that they aren’t offended by loads of sunlight. If you want to add a fertilizer, do so to the soil that you will be planting in about 1 1/2 weeks before dropping the seed into the ground.
Like all peas and beans, the pigeon pea is a nitrogen fixer, and I would recommend that if you have orchards, you should consider planting them in between fruit trees so that when the time comes to chop and drop you don’t have to go very far to find a plant that will benefit from its nutrients. While you may be tempted to grow shade plants around the base of these large shrubs, you should be aware that it’s very competitive for nutrients and will not tolerate any competition for other plants.
While you can grow these as a hedge, I would recommend that you give them at least 2-4 feet of space between each plant due to their tendency to “weep” with the heavy weight of their fruit load. In addition, when you plant any plants too close together that prevents air flow and increases the chance that it will struggle which just might encourage bugs or fungal growth. These would be wonderful against the inside of your fence line because not only do they hit the typical 6 foot fence height but will top out around 15 to 20 feet depending on the variety. Let’s see your local Glady’s Kravitz neighbor look into your property with that kind of height.
Another fine quality of this plant is that the yellow sulfur butterflies absolutely love it and at any given time you will find dozens of these fluttering yellow angels dancing around the tops of the shrub. We have seen varieties of bees, wasps and other varieties of butterflies enjoying the butter-colored flowers too.
Everything that I’ve read about pigeon pea for my current zone (9) says that it’s perennial for my area so what I’ve done to ensure it keeps it roots warm is to not only put it in full sun, but I purchased a galvanized metal garden bed, filled it with rotting mulch, cover that with a heaping portion of potting mix and amendments then top with more rotting natural mulch. As much as I’ve been warned off with using any mulch on my shrubs and trees, I’ve yet to have any serious issues with it and continue to see great results. We will be covering the shrubs with a fine white mesh blanket to help protect against frost damage but will keep everyone updated with our progress.
Once seeds are germinated, you’ll want to water regularly for about 3 weeks and then allow the plant to adapt to its environment. It is somewhat naturally drought tolerant once the root system is established, you won’t need to do much fussing over it. It’s recommended that you water deeply once a week during the colder months so that the rooting system does not dry out and cause plant death. On the opposite side, when your summer temperatures started kicking out the real heat (95+) you’ll need to likely water twice a week. If you can catch rainwater, without attracting mosquitos, the plant seems to prefer that water over the cold city or even cold well water.
You need no fertilizer with this plant and if you want to trim it down, wait until it has completed its cycle of producing pods before cutting back. The rule of thumb tends to be to not remove more than 1/3 of any green shrub so as to reduce the chances of the plant being unable to recover and use photosynthesis effectively.
If you are in a suburban or urban environment and need to grow this in a large pot, feel free to bring it in during winter and over winter it near your largest window and keep it watered. Though, before you bring in any potted plants you will no doubt need to check the plants for insect hitchhikers. Be aware that putting it in a pot likely means that you will get less pea production.
You know how I typically like to keep my posts short? Yeah, go on and toss that out the window for this post because it’s incredible how awesome this plant is and as I tell you the numerous benefits, I hope that you will begin to see why it’s a potential plant of the future.
Pigeon pea contains vitamins C, Iron, Magnesium, Potassium, B1, B9, B6, Calcium, Manganese, Phosphorus, Zinc, Selenium, Folate, Choline, B2, B3, B5, Beta Carotene, Lutein, E, K, lysine, tryptophan and copper. There’s an incredible amount of protein in the pea pods and countries all around the world are using this as a food crop staple due to its many benefits. It’s currently being used in the treatment of lowering blood pressure, anemia prevention, boosts immunity, boosts energy levels, aids in weight loss, assists with digestive health and even is being used for treatment of diabetes in some areas.
I recommend you spend a few hours combing through all the health data out there about pigeon peas because even with the hours of research I partook in, I imagine there is still information that I’ve left out. It’s incredible that the seeds, pods and even the leaves are used in various forms for treatments. It’s truly one of the most beneficial plants out there.
If you choose to cut down the perennial shrubs after they’ve spent their five years producing, consider doing what some countries will actually do and dry out the trunk and stem to use for firewood. So, the more shrubs you successfully get in production, the more products you can make from this powerhouse of a plant. I would recommend that if you have an area of erosion, you consider adding pigeon pea shrubs as it has an incredibly long tap root and will help stabilize soil.
In areas where typical grains are difficult to grow and require copious amounts of water or fertilizer, this plant is able to withstand quite a lot and provide a stable form of forage for all manner of livestock. No matter how awesome this plant is, I would not recommend this or any single plant as the sole food source for any animal, but rather it can be combined with other plants to get a complete nutritional profile. Not only does each animal have its own nutritional requirements, but juvenile versus adult will have different requirements as well. I’ve spent hours looking into this plant and suggest you do a deep dive to see how you can use this wonderful resource on your farm.
If I can help you in any way with preparing your homestead or would like to use my study materials to become more self-sufficient, please contact me on facebook, twitter or Gab.
Suburban & Rural Homesteading Today 