Growing Gandules in Short-Season Latitudes: Identifying, Improving, and Promoting Pigeon Peas for Northeastern Farms and Kitchens.

Commodities

• Vegetables: peas (culinary)
• Miscellaneous: other

Practices

• Crop Production: crop improvement and selection
• Education and Training: on-farm/ranch research, participatory research
• Sustainable Communities: urban agriculture

Truelove Seeds, in partnership with Eastern Connecticut State University and Pennsylvania-based community farming projects, will adapt pigeon peas (gandules) for reliable production in northern climates. Pigeon peas are daylight sensitive, which limits consistent yields outside of tropical regions. This project addresses this by trialing, selecting, and breeding varieties for earlier fruiting, resilience, and preferred agricultural and culinary traits, to develop regionally adapted varieties that meet consumer expectations and farmer needs.

The project combines participatory research with rigorous documentation. Trials will be conducted at multiple sites, with seed saved from the earliest fruiting plants to encourage adaptation to shorter growing seasons. Partner growers complete surveys and interviews to evaluate traits such as flavor, seed size, pod count, pest resistance, and plant form. Data collection includes quantitative measures of productivity and qualitative assessments of culinary and agricultural values. Promising selections will be expanded through isolated production and eventually hybridization to combine desirable traits into stable, open‑pollinated varieties.

Outreach ensures results are available and actionable by regional growers. Seeds will be distributed through the Truelove Seeds catalog and local plant sales, accompanied by updated planting notes, instructional videos, and social media content. Workshops with community partners will provide technical training and consumer education.

The impact includes expanded seed availability and new economic opportunities through food and seed sales. This project advances economic and agricultural sustainability.

1. Identify desirable qualities of pigeon pea varieties

• • Create data collection tools and provide user support to partners.
  • Conduct 4 interviews per season with partner growers.
  • Document traits such as early fruiting (September or earlier), plant height, seed size, seeds per pod, striped pods, pest resistance, and plant aesthetics.

2. Determine preferred varieties among growers

• • Grow at least 5 plants each of the 4 top-performing varieties ('Northern Adapted Pigeon Pea,' 'Green Gandules,' 'Georgia 1,' and 'Isabella') at multiple partner sites.
  • Include 2 runner-up varieties ('Georgia 2' and 'ICPL 88035') at Truelove Seeds home farm.
  • Collect survey data 4 times per season and track harvests and preferences.

3. Increase seed stock of best-performing varieties

• • Identify isolated grow-out locations and partner growers to expand seed production.
  • Use greenhouses at ECSU and Saul High School to support isolation and seed increase.
  • Make seed more widely available through the Truelove Seeds catalog.

4. Promote adapted pigeon pea varieties and practices for increased production and income

• • Share planting methods and variety information through website descriptions, planting instructions, videos, social media, podcast episode, and an in-person workshop focused on tropical vegetables.
  • Promote new varieties of pigeon peas to our partner growers as a new income source, both to grow for sale through our seed catalog and to grow for market customers

5. Begin long-term improvement through hybridization and selection

• • Initiate open-pollinated hybridization and selection for combined desirable traits using ECSU's 12-month greenhouse.
  • In 2026, grow at least 5 plants each from the earliest 2025 seeds, observe performance, and select superior individuals.
  • Attempt targeted hybridization of 'Georgia 1' and 'Isabella' in isolated grow-outs.
  • In 2027, continue trials, evaluate hybrid selections, and begin stabilizing promising new varieties.