Discover The Green Leaf Nursery's Beautiful Plants

The Whippoorwill Cowpea is an iconic Southern heirloom that is practically built for the Central Florida climate. Historically significant—having even been grown by Thomas Jefferson at Monticello—it is a "bulletproof" crop for local gardeners dealing with sandy soil and high heat.

• Heat & Drought Champion: These peas love the intense Florida summer sun and can thrive in hot, dry conditions where most other vegetables wither.
• Soil Builder: As a legume, it fixes its own nitrogen, making it a perfect cover crop for our nutrient-poor, sandy soils.
• Dual-Purpose Harvest: You can pick the 7–9 inch pods young to eat as "snap beans," wait until they are full for "shelling peas," or let them dry completely on the vine for long-term storage.

• When to Plant: In Central Florida, you have two great windows: mid-February through March for a spring crop, or late August to early September for a fall harvest.
• Spacing & Habit: It produces vigorous 5-foot vines. While it can sprawl as a ground cover to choke out weeds, trellising it will keep your nursery rows tidy and make harvesting easier.
• Care: Once established, it requires very little water or fertilizer. In fact, too much nitrogen will give you lush leaves but fewer peas!

The Pigeon Pea (Cajanus cajan), also known as Gandules, is a "Swiss Army Knife" plant for Central Florida. It acts as a nitrogen-fixing shrub that not only produces food but also builds your soil—perfect for the sandy conditions around Dunnellon.

• Soil Builder: It has a deep taproot that breaks up compacted soil and fixes nitrogen, which naturally fertilizes nearby plants.
• Heat Specialist: It thrives in 90°F+ heat and is exceptionally drought-tolerant once established.
• Edible Hedge: It grows quickly into a 3–12 foot shrub, making it a great edible privacy screen or windbreak.
• Dual Harvest: You can eat the peas green (like garden peas) or let them dry on the plant to use like beans for arroz con gandules or stews.

• Black Pigeon Pea: A compact, heavy-yielding starter variety that produces dark, protein-rich peas.
• Yellow Pigeon Pea: Known for its golden flowers and high productivity.
• Jumbo Red: A specialized variety with larger seeds, often selected by Florida growers for its vigor.

 The Pinkeye Purplehull Cowpea is a Southern classic and arguably the most popular cowpea variety in Florida. It's famous for its distinctive purple pods and creamy, flavorful peas with a "pink eye." 

• Visual Indicator: The pods turn a deep purple when they are perfectly ready for shelling, taking the guesswork out of harvesting.
• Extreme Heat Tolerance: Like the Whippoorwill, this variety loves the Florida summer and will keep producing when other beans have long since given up.
• Semi-Bush Habit: It has a more compact, semi-vining growth habit compared to the sprawling Whippoorwill, making it easier to manage in smaller garden rows or large containers.
• Fast Producer: You can typically start harvesting in about 60–70 days, giving you a quick turnaround for your summer garden.

• Soil: It is an excellent nitrogen-fixer, meaning it improves your sandy soil while it grows.
• Pests: It is generally resistant to many common Southern pests, including cowpea curculio in many modern "improved" strains.
• Sunlight: Requires full sun to produce those vibrant purple pods and sweet peas.