Where do Southern pea types get their names?
The types are named after pod color, seed color, and seed shapes. Crowder peas look as if they have been crowded in the pod. Black eye peas have a ring around the hilum which looks like a black eye. Pink eye peas have a less dark ring than black eyes. Clay peas grow well on clay soils. Iron peas grow well on red soils. Purple hull and silver peas are named after the color of their pods. It is possible to have a pink eye, crowder, clay, silver pea.
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MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Most gardens look dead in the winter as gardeners wait for spring to put in their crops, but these plots can come alive in January with fresh vegetables for the table.
David Nagel, horticulture specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said mid- to late-January is the time to plant peas and greens.
"Mississippi gardeners don't plant peas nearly as much as they used to, but these vegetables thrive in our climate," Nagel said.
MISSISSIPPI STATE -- Just as Good Friday signals the time to get the spring garden in the ground, August's heat is the indication that it's time to plant the fall garden.
David Nagel, horticulture specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service, said now is the time to plant tomatoes, peppers, squash, sweet corn, peas and beans.
"Summer gardens typically wind down in early August when the temperatures start being consistently above 95 degrees," Nagel said. "That's when you clean the garden out and plant the fall garden."
