About J. Wayne Fears

If you look at the seed tag on many of the popular commercially available cool season food plot seed mixes, you will find Austrian winter peas (Pisum sativum) to be one of the key seeds. Also it is used in many custom or DIY seed mixes designed for both the U.S. and southern Canada.

Not to be confused with the warm season legume cowpea, Austrian winter pea, often called black pea or field pea in the northern U.S., is native to the eastern Mediterranean and western Asia. This cool season annual legume was introduced into North America for three good reasons: excellent for soil building due to its nitrogen-fixing ability, winter hardy enough to be grown throughout the U.S. and southern Canada (during prolonged cold winters of below zero temperatures, the plants need to be protected by a good snow cover; otherwise, they are likely to freeze), and excellent for livestock forage production as it can produce from 3,000 to 4,000 pounds of forage per acre.

Choice Plant for Deer

Deer eat all parts of the vine-like plant. Wild turkey and game birds love the seed.

Back in the mid-1900s deer biologists began testing the legume as a food plot crop for deer, and it was quickly found to be very high on the deer preference plant lists. In fact, deer love the plant so much that when planted alone it can be overgrazed quickly – thus the reason it is often planted in a mix with other plants that deer also like. I have tried planting Austrian winter peas alone in food plots in areas of high deer density and they were eaten to the ground before the plant could become established. When planted as part of a mix including cereal grains, they continue producing forage into the spring well after the cereal grains have died back, giving deer an important food source during the transition period between winter and spring.

Suggested DIY Mixes for Use With Austrian Winter Pea Southern U.S. Mixes Fall Mix 1 10 pounds crimson clover 10 pounds Berseem clover 20 pounds Austrian winter pea 30 pounds oats Fall Mix 2 5 pounds ladino clover 50 pounds wheat 20 pounds Austrian winter pea Northern U.S. & Southern Canada Mixes Fall Mix 1 20 pounds Austrian winter pea 50 pounds wheat 5 pounds red clover 5 pounds ladino clover Fall Mix 2 50 pounds grain rye 5 pounds birds foot trefoil 5 pounds red clover 5 pounds white clover 20 pounds Austrian winter peas Fall Mix 3 50 pounds wheat 5 pounds red clover 5 pounds white clover 1 pound chicory 20 pounds Austrian winter peas 3 pounds birds foot trefoil

The cold-tolerant, low-growing vine-like plant develops 2- to 8-foot-long stems in fertile soils and bears pink, purple, or white blooms in spring. The leaves are pale green and consist of one to three pairs of leaflets. At maturity, it develops a seed pod with three to six seeds. Deer eat the entire plant and the seeds are favored by wild turkey, quail, and other wildlife.

Austrian winter pea is nutritious for deer. The leaves, seeds, and stems have protein levels as high as 30% and are highly digestible.

Soil Requirements and Planting Methods

Austrian winter pea grows best in loamy soils with a pH of 5.5-6.5. It will also do well in clay-loam, but not in wet or poorly drained soils. Austrian winter pea seed – round and gray to brown in color – are fairly large as seeds go, and should be seeded into a fine, firm seedbed with adequate moisture for germination. Good stands of only Austrian winter pea can be established by broadcast planting 50 pounds/acre followed by cultipacking seed to 1-inch deep. It can be no-till drilled at a rate of 30 pounds/acre. If no-till planting, kill the existing weeds/vegetation with glyphosate two weeks prior to planting to discourage weed competition. If the Austrian winter pea is to be planted as part of a commercial food plot seed mix, be sure to follow the planting instructions on the bag. If planting a DIY mix, be sure to prepare a good seedbed and cultipack all seed in the mix to 1-inch depth. Getting good seed-to-soil contact is important to getting good germination.

Planting Dates, Inoculation,
and Fertilization

While Austrian winter pea can be planted after the last killing frost as a warm season plant, for deer it is usually planted as a cool season crop – thus it is important to get the crop planted and well-established before the first killing frost. In the northern states and southern Canada, it should be planted in late August and early September. In southern states, it should be planted in October.

Since Austrian winter pea is a legume, be sure to purchase inoculated seed or inoculate seed with Rhizobium bacteria (strain C) before planting. The price of inoculated seed varies somewhat from year to year, but at this writing it averages about $10 for a 5-pound bag and $38 for a 50-pound bag.

Since it is a legume, it won’t need much, if any, nitrogen. However, a soil test is essential to determine the necessary amount of phosphorous and potassium. If planting as a part of a mix, follow the fertilization recommendation that comes with the mix, or if no information is available, fertilize with 300 pounds/acre of 19-19-19.

A Slow Starter

The seed of the Austrian winter pea is dark in color and larger than most food plot crop seeds. Being a legume, the seed must be inoculated before planting.

A word of caution to first time Austrian winter pea planters: the plant tends to be a slow starter, so don’t look for them to jump up out of the ground immediately after planting. In a mix, the other seed will germinate and start growing before the peas appear. Since deer love the pea this is a good thing as it gives the deer something to eat, giving the pea a chance to get started.

Austrian winter pea is an excellent food for deer. It is nutritious and deer love it. For this reason, if you plan on planting it in food plots where the deer density is high, I recommend that you plant it as a part of a mix or the deer will eat it as fast as it comes out of the ground.