Split peas in real life are field peas. However you can make do with a smooth seeded cultivar like Alaska or Willet Wonder for the green version. In some areas Canada Field peas are available at Feed and Seeds. Have not found any place that sells in small quantities.
You harvest just like you would seeds. Allow the pod to dry on the plant. Usually they are mechanically harvested.

Here is a link that might be useful: split pea

I grew Austrian Field Peas, yellow fleshed, from Johnny's this past year. One pound planted yielded about 6 pounds of cleaned dried peas.

Actually, I saw an identical whole dried pea in the grocery store for $1.29 a lb, and I'm sure those would grow, so you could probably just plant whole dried grocery store peas.

Actually, for the yield obtained for the work and time, it's really not worth the effort. However, it can be a fun exercise, making one appreciate what our ancestors went through just to survive and put food on the table.

As farmerdilla said, field peas, cowpeas, southern peas - they go by different monikers ;) - are just field peas that have been split. They aren't a big demand item for the home gardener so are usually sold only in bulk quantities such as 25 or 50 lb. bags for commercial seeders. But you can sometimes find them at a feed and farm store where they will sell you some by the pound if they have a damaged bag or such. And you let them totally dry on the vine before harvesting as already mentioned.

Production is limited so it takes a lot of plants to get much crop - ok for the big commercial grower but not an ideal home gardener crop.

Dave

Hmm... maybe you are all right, and I should stick with veggies that are more worth my while in terms of money saved... just looking for ways to cut our shopping bill wherever I can! But I do have limited garden space. Thanks for the tips!

Lori

Dave, the field peas as per dilla's link and of what are typically used for "split-pea" soup are of the same family as "english peas" or "green peas", brought from europe to NA: pisum sativum. Southern peas or cowpeas of course as you know are the family Vigna from africa and have a dramatically different taste from pisum(IMO), and even more so in the dried state. Cowpea production is pretty unreliable in zones colder than 7b or so, I find, just as pisum is difficult in zones warmer than that. Though the shorter season english pea as a fresh vegetable of course being a traditional winter crop in the deep south, the dry varieties are very long season and will run into hot weather in the south.

Dave, the field peas as per dilla's link and of what are typically used for "split-pea" soup are of the same family as "english peas" or "green peas", brought from europe to NA: pisum sativum. Southern peas or cowpeas of course as you know are the family Vigna from africa and have a dramatically different taste from pisum(IMO),

Yeah, I know. Thus the use of "moniker" as opposed to genus or family since many use the common labels interchangeably, incorrectly but still interchangeably. A long discussion over on the Harvest forum some months back came up with several more alternate labels for them but I can't recall all the "we call them" names folks came up with. Sorry if any confusion.

But whatever one calls them, they still are not productive enough in the typical home garden to off-set their inexpensive store-bought cost.

Dave

I thought you were accidentally lumping european field peas with cowpeas; it seemed to read that way - possibly confusing for the OP (just wouldn't want her to be planting cowpeas in March in a zone 6!). I was quite sure you weren't confused though, as any experienced gardener knows well the difference and you've got some years on me.

Lori, there is at least one variety of european pea that will serve double-duty as fresh and dry: Dwarf Grey Sugar. It even makes a decent snap. Prolific, doesn't need support, very pretty scarlet flowers too. I believe the colonists ate them as fresh shell and used them for the staple dry crop. In any single category it isn't as good as more modern varieties, but if you want to try dry in limited space it might be just the item.

pnbrown,

That one sounds interesting... I like multipurpose vegetables =) And if it doesn't need support, so much the better... my vertical supports are already overcommitted as it is! That might have to go on my "wants" list!

Thanks,
Lori

Last fall, I planted Austrian peas/field peas and the following spring/early summer, they had set hundreds of pods. The green peas were pleasant tasting, but I wanted them for seed, so left them on the vines to mature and dry.

Big mistake!!!!

The chipmunks ate every one of the peas.

Now the monks are everywhere and impossible to control. (If you have good advice on monk control, please send me an email. Please don't post it here.)

So, my (obvious) advice is: if you have munks around, harvest your peas before the monks take them for their larder.