Cowpeas, Black-Eye Peas, Vigna unguiculata

Uses: Edible, Forage, Legumes, Xeriscaping. Native to: West Africa
     A true survival food, the cowpea is grown for its edible beans and leaves. It's a nitrogen-fixing legume, which allows it to grow in extremely poor soils. In addition, it's one of the best fodder plants for the deep south.
     Not only do cowpeas grow very well in this area, it seems that wildlife has very little interest in them. This can be a boon when squirrels and birds frequently do their best to defeat even the most resilient of gardeners.
     Plant cowpeas in the early spring, around the beginning of March if no additional freezes are reported. Plant them again at the end of September. They are a short-season annual that only needs about 3-4 months to produce a whole crop of beans. The beans germinate faster if soaked in clean water for 2-4 hours before planting. If desired, innoculate with additional nitrogen-fixing bacteria, but this step is not necessary in order to get good results. Grows very well in the full sun provided they plants have enough moisture to prevent wilting.
     Cowpeas have also been shown to be an excellent green manure and annual cover crop, as they grow in poor soil and have a short growing season. Supposedly they arrived in the US via the slave trade, and are still a New Years Day traditional holiday food in the south.
     Mine are originally from the grocery store, and I have been growing them now successfully for a while. I'm attempting to hybridize some cowpeas that particularly enjoy our weather and soil, though I have been amending the soil with rabbit manure for some time as well. This variety is low-growing and bushy, and can be planted very closely together to maximize your growing space. They are very well-behaved little plants, and will stay where they are placed. At the end of their cycle the beans and plants politely die and dry right on the plant, making harvest very easy.

Timber for Florida's Future

   I may have already said that I ardently believe that Florida's natural state is forested, and that it's weather and plants do everything they can to return the state to a forested system, time and again. Perhaps we should work with nature instead of against her, and plan Florida's agriculture to its forests and not to cattle pastures and tomatoes. After all, citrus trees can be part of a silviculture system, when properly managed.
     In the not-so-distant past we were all about growing timber, and some parts of North Florida still are. The construction lag has reduced the timber industry nationwide, but there will always be a need for lumber. Moreover, there are dozens if not hundreds of native and exotic trees that can be used to produce high-quality lumber products.

Grow a Forest in 3 Years

      This amazing essay was written in 1964 by an agricultural professor in Athens, Georgia. He outlines some information gleaned from their test site, which uses the American Sycamore tree, a member of the maple family, to very quickly produce high-quality timber and rough cellulose. The species grows very well in the entire east side of the country, is relatively pest-free, and can produce maple syrup and mushrooms as a by-product (read: secondary income). It grows quickly from seeds and is a prolific producer. The trees are even great at growing where other timber species can't or won't.
     I'm not advocating large fields of trees, but I am advocating some parts to life that can be more sustainable. What about permaculture farms that grow pecans, citrus, persimmons, cacti, pines, and other useful trees in polycutures? With processing facilities nearby or on-site, the value added could be enormous.

     Another favorable long-term study for commercial growth of Sycamore and Sweetgum in the deep south.