VuHy-Celebrity
About this variety
VuHy-Celebrity is an F1 hybrid yard-long cowpea bred for vigor and a long, dependable harvest. Because it's indeterminate, the vine keeps growing and producing as long as conditions stay warm, rather than fruiting once and stopping — so a short row can keep producing for weeks.
Pods are dark green and glossy, medium-long, and borne in tidy clusters of two to three per node, making them easy to spot and pick. They stay tender with good flavor and good post-harvest keeping quality — a favorite for stir-fries, curries, and fresh-market bunches. Pick young and often for the best eating quality and to keep new flowers coming.
Grow guide
How to grow
Site & soil
Pick a well-drained site with good water retention — cowpea dislikes standing water. Work to a fine tilth, clear old residue and weeds, mix in well-rotted compost or aged manure, and pre-irrigate if the soil is dry.
Sowing & spacing
Direct-seed one seed per hole ¾–1¼" deep, spacing plants ~18–24" apart. Direct sow only; the roots don’t like disturbance. A tall, sturdy trellis is required to reach full yield and keep pods clean.
Feeding
Cowpea fixes some of its own nitrogen and needs only modest fertility. Too much nitrogen pushes vine growth over pod set — compost is usually all it needs.
Watering
Shallow-rooted: give light, even watering, and keep the soil moist during flowering and pod growth.
Harvest
First picking begins 48–55 days after sowing. Pick young and often — every 2–3 days in peak season keeps the vine flowering and maximizes total yield.
For farms
- Seed rate is about 1.0–1.2 kg/acre.
- Row spacing ~47″ (120 cm).
- Feed no more than 40–50 lb/acre of nitrogen.
- Pick by hand to your market's preferred size — smaller, tender pods for fresh markets.
- Suits weekly market tables and grocery accounts alike.
For home growers
One packet has 15 seeds. After your last frost, once the soil is 65°F or warmer, sow seeds ¾–1¼ inches deep and 18–24 inches apart along a tall, sturdy trellis; cowpea seed rots in cold, wet ground. Beans dislike root disturbance, so don't start them indoors. Compost is usually all the feeding it needs; extra nitrogen gives leaves instead of pods. Give light, even watering, and keep the soil moist during flowering and pod growth. Pick pods young and slender, before the beans inside bulge, every 2–3 days.
Earliest sowing · after last frost
| Zones 9–11 | Sow Feb–Mar | |
| Zone 8 | Sow late Mar–Apr | |
| Zones 6–7 | Sow late Apr–May | |
| Zones 3–5 | Late May–Jun |
| Zones 9–11 | S. California, S. & central Florida, S. Texas, Gulf Coast, Arizona low desert, Hawaii |
| Zone 8 | Coastal Carolinas, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, central Texas, coastal Pacific NW, interior California |
| Zones 6–7 | Virginia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Mid-Atlantic (PA/MD/NJ), Ohio Valley |
| Zones 3–5 | Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming, New England, upstate New York, high Mountain West |
Seed treatment & handling
Untreated seed is available for no-spray and organic operations. For conventional growing, we also offer seed with a standard treatment that adds protection against soil pests and disease while it germinates and in the first weeks after sowing.
Good to know before you buy
- This is an F1 hybrid — saved seed won't breed true, so buy fresh seed each season for consistent results.
- Staking or trellising isn't optional for full yield — plan your support before planting.
Sourcing
Sourced from Ankur Seeds, India. Packaged & distributed by Harvest Goals LLC, Fremont, CA · +1 (650) 305-5334.
Origin India · F1 Hybrid · Non-GMO · For planting purposes only, not for human consumption.