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' ‘Sea Island’ Red Cowpea' Peas |
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Sea Island Red Peas are a Gullah Geechee variety used in coastal Carolina Hoppin' John and Reezy Peezy. It is an important companion to Carolina Gold Rice in the pot, and it is a great crop to add nitrogen back into the soil between rice rotations. It's an absolutely delicious southern pea that grows prolifically on short runners.
Thanks as always to Shakara Tyler for sharing these seeds with us three years ago, and to Matthew Raiford and Jovan Sage who shared them with her from his century-old family farm on Gullah Geechee land in Georgia. Also, thank you to Miss Cornelia Walker Bailey from Sapelo who shared it originally with Matthew and Jovan. In 2020, Matthew sent us these seeds directly from his farm.
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| Days To Maturity: |
NA
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| Seed Sources: |
True Love Seeds - updated in 2025
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| Rating Summary |
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Overall: (4.5 Stars)
Taste: (4.0 Stars)
Yield: (4.4 Stars)
Ease/Reliability: (4.8 Stars) |
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| Reviews |
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Login to share your Review of ‘Sea Island’ Red Cowpea.
Number of Reviews: 20
KEY: O=Overall Rating, T=Taste, Y=Yield, E=Ease
Reviewed on 12/18/2025 by
Ashley Helmholdt
- An intermediate gardener
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Overall
 Taste
Yield
Ease
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Tompkins, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days
Soil Texture: Not Sure
Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| This review sent on behalf of CCE Cortland |
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Reviewed on 12/04/2025 by
Otsego Master Gardeners1
- An intermediate gardener
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 Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Otsego, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 123 - 143 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: Less than 6 hours per day
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| End of season prolific supply of seeds |
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Reviewed on 12/03/2025 by
Cutler Botanic Garden
- An experienced gardener
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 Overall
 Taste
Yield
Ease
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Broome, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
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| did OK |
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Reviewed on 12/02/2025 by
MGWayne
- An experienced gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Wayne, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
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| We planted around 20 sets of seeds. though the peas grew well and were easy to hull, the peas were tiny. Our harvest barely came to a cup of peas. We were unable to cook and taste these peas. |
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Reviewed on 11/26/2025 by
Orleans County MGs
- An intermediate gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Orleans, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| These were great! Very easy to grow, very productive. Pods were very long - delicious to eat green when young and tender. Dried cowpeas were small but very good - meaty and slightly sweet. |
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Reviewed on 11/24/2025 by
CCE Warren County
- An intermediate gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Warren, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 123 - 143 days
Soil Texture: Sand
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| Prolific grower, be sure they have plenty of room to climb! The beans have a "meaty" flavor and texture. We also enjoyed eating the young pods before they matured. The growth of this plant crowded out any competing weeds, and there were no pest problems. This would be a fun one to grow with kids. We yielded about 3lbs of dried beans at the end of the season. This was beloved by many of our gardeners, so we saved seeds to grow again next year. |
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Reviewed on 11/10/2025 by
Albany County MGs
- An experienced gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Albany, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 123 - 143 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
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| Great germination and very prolific. |
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Reviewed on 11/07/2025 by
caj88 CCE Oneida County
- A novice gardener
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Ease
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Oneida, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| These grew easily and abundantly. The peas were flavorful once dried and cooked into hoppin\' john recipeş. \r\n\r\nWe made use of a trellis to train them up, however they did seem to be more of a bush-style grow. |
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Reviewed on 11/03/2025 by
Seneca CCE
- An intermediate gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Seneca, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days
Soil Texture: Clay
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| These grew well and were such a conversation starter. We did determine there was a good window to pick these and if on vine too long they would get a bit tough. Quality taste. |
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Reviewed on 10/30/2025 by
Schuyler CCE
- An intermediate gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Schuyler, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 183 - 203 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
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| Prolific in both growing & producing. |
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Reviewed on 10/30/2025 by
CCE Nassau County NY
- An experienced gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Nassau, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 183 - 203 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
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| A very productive cowpea and easy to grow. The flowers were also attractive. Removing the beans from their pods was very easy once they dried on the vine. The flavor was excellent, and the beans maintained their shape after cooking. The only complaint was that they needed a long cooking time. However, soaking for about 16 hours and cooking for an hour worked well. |
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Reviewed on 10/29/2025 by
Julie Rydza
- An intermediate gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Erie, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days
Soil Texture: Clay
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
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| Used trellis to support. All seeds germinated, and developed to harvest. Very productive. |
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Reviewed on 10/29/2025 by
CCE Orange County
- An intermediate gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Orange, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: More than 8 hours per day
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| Unbelievably productive! Dried well on the vine. Easy to shell. |
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Reviewed on 10/10/2025 by
Cafolla
- A novice gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Monroe, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days
Soil Texture: Not Sure
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| 8/17- some starting to dry\r\n9/29- picked ~1lb\r\n\r\nvery good bean flavor soaked on it\'s own with only salt. |
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Reviewed on 10/10/2025 by
Gasieiwcz
- An experienced gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Wyoming, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 123 - 143 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| Plants did very well with high yields. Best used in cooked rather than fresh when young. Dried beans were small but hydrate well with good flavor |
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Reviewed on 09/29/2025 by
Tompkins MGs
- An experienced gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Tompkins, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days
Soil Texture: Clay
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| Grew nicely on a trellis in a fairly shady part of the garden. The flowers are very pretty. The plants in a 3 by 3 ft. bed produced about two cups of very small beans. |
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Reviewed on 09/24/2025 by
CCE Rockland
- An experienced gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Rockland, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 163 - 183 days
Soil Texture: Clay
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| Strong vine with a good prduction of pods. Easy to remove peas from dry pods. Tasted great when cooked...deep flavor and sweetness. Did not try pods when green. |
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Reviewed on 09/19/2025 by
Jessica Luse
- An experienced gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Saratoga, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days
Soil Texture: Not Sure
Garden Size: Medium - 400 square feet to 1,600 square feet
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| Abundant production of peas, tasted really good. |
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Reviewed on 09/06/2025 by
Schenectady CCE
- An experienced gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Schenectady, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days
Soil Texture: Loam
Garden Size: Large - More than 1,600 square feet (40' x 40')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| Good flavor lightly sauteed. We grew it next to a chain link fence for climbing and it did well after a slow start in the first half of the season. |
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Reviewed on 08/25/2025 by
CCE Chemung JS
- An experienced gardener
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Overall
Taste
Yield
Ease
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Chemung, New York, United States
Frost Free Season: 143 - 163 days
Soil Texture: Not Sure
Garden Size: Small - Less than 400 square feet (20' x 20')
Sun Exposure: 6 to 8 hours per day
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| Harvested 1.5 lbs. Easy to cook. Young sprouts taste great raw. Easy to harvest from pod when dry on vine. |
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