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Pigeon pea

Cajanus cajan

Pigeon pea is a heat-loving shrub in the bean family, grown for green peas eaten fresh and dry peas for soups and dal. It shrugs off heat and drought, feeds its own nitrogen, and flowers as the days shorten in fall. Gandules in Puerto Rican cooking and toor dal in Indian cooking are both pigeon peas.

Growing facts

Scientific name
Cajanus cajan
Origin
India or Africa (uncertain); grown in both for thousands of years
Plant size
Usually 3–6 ft; can reach 12 ft; newer dwarf types stay about as tall as southern peas
Growth rate
Fast
Sun
Full sun
Soil
Most well-drained soils, even poor ones; it won't survive waterlogged ground and needs little or no fertilizer
Soil pH
4.5–8.4
Pollination
Mostly self-pollinated; varieties grown near each other can cross
Cold hardiness
Frost strips the leaves and a freeze kills it; grows best at 65–86°F
USDA zones
A short-lived perennial (up to about five years) in frost-free areas; grown as an annual elsewhere
Harvest
About 140 days from seed to first harvest; many types flower only as days shorten in fall
When to plant (zones 9–11)
Mar–Jun
When to plant (zones 5–8)
May–Jun
Water
About every 7 days once established, without rain; more in heat, in pots and while young
Taste
Fresh green peas are sweet; poor or old peas turn tough and lose that sweetness
Nutrition
High in protein, about 21–28% in split dry peas

Is pigeon pea safe to eat? Edible and toxic parts

What you can eat

  • Green peas, shelled and cooked
  • Dry peas, cooked

Toxic parts and cautions

  • Take care: Don't eat the peas raw. They contain trypsin inhibitors and tannins; cooking removes the inhibitors.
  • Good to know: Caterpillars and stink bugs feed on the pods, and stored dry peas attract bean weevils.

Pets: No reliable data on toxicity for dogs, cats or other pets.

How to eat and enjoy pigeon pea

  • Arroz con gandules
  • Dal from split dry peas
  • Green peas simmered with rice or in stews
  • A quick summer screen or windbreak

When it's ripe

For green peas, pick pods once the peas are full and the pods are still green; yellowed pods mean the peas are aging or damaged. For dry peas, let pods dry on the plant; they don't split open in the field. In Florida, harvest runs about October to December.

Storing it

Shelled green peas are best used within a few days or frozen. Keep dry peas sealed against weevils.

Pests and diseases to watch for

  • Scale insects

    Small bumps, waxy or shell-like, on stems and leaf veins; sticky honeydew and black sooty mold below.

    What to do: Scrub small colonies off with a soft brush.

  • Mealybugs

    White cottony clusters in leaf joints, under leaves and on fruit stems; honeydew and sooty mold.

    What to do: Blast off with a strong spray of water.

  • Aphids

    Clusters of tiny soft insects on new shoots; leaves curl and get sticky.

    What to do: Spray off with water.

  • Sooty mold

    Black, papery film on leaves and fruit that wipes off; it grows on honeydew.

    What to do: Control the insects making honeydew; the mold then weathers away.

  • Spider mites

    Fine pale speckling on leaves, dusty undersides and fine webbing; leaves bronze and drop.

    What to do: Hose the undersides of leaves.

Growing pigeon peas? Let Yardkin keep track.

Yardkin tells you when your pigeon pea needs water based on your local weather, reminds you to feed and prune in season, and keeps every harvest and photo.

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General guidance, not medical or veterinary advice. Poison Control (US): 1-800-222-1222. ASPCA Animal Poison Control: (888) 426-4435.