Southern peas are an attractive crop due to their ability to produce on soil of low fertility and to fit into crop rotations. They can be planted after spring vegetables are harvested.
Southern peas are legumes and can draw nitrogen from the atmosphere.
Inoculants of bacteria are available commercially, and may be used to coat the seed before planting to insure bacteria is present in the soil. They are a warm season crop and produce satisfactorily under hot summer conditions in Oklahoma. Yield will vary depending upon soil fertility and moisture supply. From a single harvest the green shell pod yield will range from 2,500 to 4,500 pounds per acre while green shelled and dry pea yield will range from 1,200 to 2,000 pounds per acre. Multiple hand harvests can increase pod and green pea yields of vining types by about 25 percent above the indicated single harvest yields.