My Deer Garden

Planting Iron Clay Cowpeas for deer

Vigna unguiculata

Warm season

Deer hit this hard. That is the point.

Seeding rate
50 to 80 lb
per acre, broadcast
Minimum plot
1 acre
smaller gets browsed out
Plant
Late spring into early summer, once soil is warm

Rates are broadcast figures. Drilling runs roughly a third lower. These are starting points from extension guidance and have not yet been re-checked against a second source per record, so treat them as indicative and soil test before you buy seed.

Type
Food plot forage
Hardiness
Zones 6–11
Light
Full sun
Height
60–120 in
Bloom
Summer
Maintenance
Low
Family
Fabaceae

About Iron Clay Cowpeas

Warm-season legume for summer protein, which is the season most food plot planning ignores. Antler growth and lactation both happen in summer, and a property with nothing green in July is not holding deer regardless of what it grows in October.

Very high protein, very palatable, and nitrogen fixing. Drought tolerant once away.

The problem is that deer love them from the moment they emerge, and a small plot can be eaten to the stem before the plants ever canopy. An acre is a realistic minimum and two is safer. Many people cage a section or run a temporary electric wire for the first six weeks to let the crop establish, then drop it.

Broadcast at 50 to 80 lb per acre. Warm soil is essential, so wait until well after last frost.

Protecting Iron Clay Cowpeas

Deer will destroy this without protection, so the question is which kind you are willing to pay for.

  1. 1How tall a deer fence needs to beEight feet, and six is the most common expensive mistake in deer fencing.
  2. 2What a deer fence costsMaterial ratios are stable even when prices are not, and installation reliably doubles the figure.
  3. 3Repellent that actually worksThe egg-based recipe that reproduces the active ingredient in the commercial sprays that win university trials.
  4. 4Check it is actually deerDeer tear and leave a ragged stub. A clean 45-degree cut is rabbits, and slug holes get blamed on deer constantly.

Soil and care

Soil pH
5.5 to 7
Drainage
Well drained
Water
Low
Growth rate
Fast
Maintenance
Low

Where Iron Clay Cowpeas grows

Hardy across 46 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering. Select any state, including one it will not grow in, for what is resistant there.

Alabama — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Alaska — hardy here. Zones 1 to 8.Arizona — hardy here. Zones 5 to 10.Arkansas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.California — hardy here. Zones 7 to 10.Colorado — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Connecticut — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Delaware — hardy here. Zones 7 to 7.District of Columbia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 8.Florida — hardy here. Zones 8 to 11.Georgia — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Hawaii — hardy here. Zones 9 to 12.Idaho — hardy here. Zones 3 to 7.Illinois — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Indiana — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Iowa — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Kansas — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Kentucky — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.Louisiana — hardy here. Zones 8 to 10.Maine — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Maryland — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Massachusetts — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Michigan — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Minnesota — not hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Mississippi — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.Missouri — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Montana — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.Nebraska — hardy here. Zones 4 to 6.Nevada — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New Hampshire — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.New Jersey — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.New Mexico — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.New York — hardy here. Zones 4 to 7.North Carolina — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.North Dakota — not hardy here. Zones 3 to 4.Ohio — hardy here. Zones 5 to 6.Oklahoma — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Oregon — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Pennsylvania — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Rhode Island — hardy here. Zones 6 to 7.South Carolina — hardy here. Zones 7 to 9.South Dakota — not hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Tennessee — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Texas — hardy here. Zones 6 to 9.Utah — hardy here. Zones 4 to 9.Vermont — not hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Virginia — hardy here. Zones 6 to 8.Washington — hardy here. Zones 5 to 8.West Virginia — hardy here. Zones 5 to 7.Wisconsin — not hardy here. Zones 3 to 5.Wyoming — hardy here. Zones 3 to 6.
Hardy on zone rangeNot hardy — still linked
Choose a state from the listeasier on a phone

Common questions about Iron Clay Cowpeas

What is the seeding rate for Iron Clay Cowpeas?
Broadcast 50 to 80 lb per acre. Drilled rates run roughly a third lower. Soil test before buying seed, because pH matters more to the outcome than the rate does.
When should I plant Iron Clay Cowpeas?
Late spring into early summer, once soil is warm. It is a warm-season crop and needs soil that has genuinely warmed, not just a frost-free date on a calendar.
How big does a Iron Clay Cowpeas plot need to be?
About 1 acre as a realistic floor. Below that, deer graze the crop faster than it establishes and you get bare ground instead of forage. Local deer density moves this number more than anything else.
Do deer actually eat Iron Clay Cowpeas?
Frequently Severely Damaged on the four-step damage scale, which measures how heavily deer feed on a plant. On an ornamental that is a warning. On a food plot crop it is the specification.
What hardiness zones does Iron Clay Cowpeas grow in?
Iron Clay Cowpeas is hardy in USDA zones 6 to 11. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
How big does Iron Clay Cowpeas get?
Mature height is roughly 60–120 in. Growth rate is fast.

Browse from here

Every list Iron Clay Cowpeas belongs to.

Deer favorites·Full sun plants·Food plot crops

Hardy in these zones

Zone 6·Zone 7·Zone 8·Zone 9

Damage ratings follow the four-step field scale published by Rutgers University. Growing data is compiled from state extension sources and still being verified record by record. Last reviewed .