The Ideal Summer Cover Crop for the Desert?

Finding the ideal cover crop for desert environments can be challenging. Today we're giving you 5 reasons for growing cowpeas as a summer cover crop in Arizona or similar climates.
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[kathymitchell]

Thanks for the information. This is my second year in the desert and I may try cowpeas next summer. I wish my family liked to eat these more.

[maryzimmerman]

I think I'm going to go for this. Sounds good for the chickens

[diannebartkus]

Super. Good to learn this. 29 Palms here we will likely hit 120 with an average Summer temp of 111...
Thank you for this

[yes]

Such great video! We've been having drought wave in Poland and I'm really concerded, because planted lots of new plants, like raspberries, which struggle in such weather. I also have 1 type of peas and 2 types of beans in my garden, but never thought to combine them in one plot. Need to experiment with the shorter one

[CopperStateCustomAdmin]

short, to the point, perfect. I'll be buying them for sure.

[WesternMONo-TillGardening]

Cowpeas are one of my preferred cover crops. The hotter it gets, the better they do!

[Realatmx]

Hey Duane.. Arizona have same climate as "Rajasthan" In India best trick to grow anything is built green net structure with high density green net comes in different capacities to filter sunlight buy as per your local climate.. I recommend you to built with low height to save money and lower maintenance just for growing own food not as business purpose
Try if can buy cluster bean seeds specially heirloom variety they are damm delicious😋 once you ate you will add it to daily diet .. I eat it freshly by roasting in little oil and sprinkle tiny salt

[gracefarm]

Thank you will try this here in NM this year

[Friesian-qu]

Short and sweet with great information. Thanks!

[danielfisch]

Great info, I’ll have to try growing them next summer and thank you for sharing.

[marschlosser]

Fried cowpeas! A must in Asian cooking.
Cowpeas are the only pulse that will produce a cro and leave a lot of nitrogen in the soil. the closest, I think, to them is mesquite. I have yori cahui (a red) and they're great. They set a lot of beans in sun or shade, and then start all over again. Keep up the great work!

[veronicacarlson]

Just planted cowpeas the other day in my Coolidge AZ backyard. I have new construction so I started with cardboard, soil & wood chips hoping for success with the no till method. Hopefully between the the cow peas and I'll be planting footlong beans also it will do wonders with my soil

[chawn]

Love your channel-have been totally binge watching during these past few weeks of soaring temperatures! I have yet to get cowpeas to grow much past the first couple of sets of leaves. I am perplexed, because they have a great reputation for being prolific here in the AZ desert. Germination not usually a problem, but they certainly do not thrive. Thoughts? Thank you for all of the amazing content you put out for all of us to learn and grow with you!

[solcruz]

Thanks for the info! 🤗! Have you tried to grow fava been? That’s a great nitrogen capturer too. It grows on fall.

[ranasammani]

Hi Duane and Lori! Someone suggested that I should plant these as well as sweet potatoes as covering for my fruit trees. I am a little hesitant to do so as I am worried about fertilizing the trees and the coverings being an obstacle. Do you have any thoughts/recommendations?

[cjpatterson]

Nice to see green in the desert. do you grow tomatoes, zucchini and watermelon in the winter spring and fall?

[carolshovlin]

What would you do if you did not have wood chips. Not many countries have them...like us in dry south Africa??

[TroyArmstrong]

I will give a recipe "s" for the cowpea you have and I hope you will like it
I noticed you have the short ones but anyway here it is
fresh green coriander, chopped
olive oil
garlic
salt
prep: cut the cowpeas into about an 3/4 of an inch
heat the oil on medium and put the garlic
add the cowpea
15 min then add the coriander, leave it on low 5 min and it's ready
I usually eat it with pita bread
you can use the same recipe for fava beans or just the regular green beans like Jade, Maxibel, Contender, Bush Lake Bush Beans

there is another recipe
olive oil
green beans cut into 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch
garlic
onion
tomato fresh or canned cubes/ diced
tomato paste 2tbs, be generous
salt to taste/desire
chop the onions into wings or dice it
crush the garlic into creamy paste using a mortar
fry the onion and garlic on high heat half way so they are not cooked then add the tomato paste, stir it so won't stay clumpy
add the tomato
when you sit boiling the turn the heat down to medium low
add the beans and mix well, cover and let simmer
it takes about 30 to 40 min unless you like it crunchy
same thing, with flat mediterranean bread
the second recipe goes for all green beans and cowpeas long or short
best results when eaten cold out the fridge
--
all the best

[joannthompson]

We did cow peas first time s last year just don't like the daily picking.but once we got enough to can it sold us.

[ObamaoZedong]

What varieties are the most drought tolerant? Just bought some land in northern AZ and have no water setup yet. Hoping to rely on the monsoons.