11 Seeds to Plant in Honor of Black History Month

Planting a seed is more than a gardening task—it’s a way to honor past generations of farmers, gardeners, and horticulturalists. Seeds contain genetics of past plant generations, and the plants they sprout represent hundreds of years of plant breeding. These crops we enjoy today are the fruits of Black Americans’ cultivation.

A Sesamum indicum plant with a soft pink, tubular flower and green, serrated leaves, growing on a slender stem.

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Seeds contain stories. Without generations of farmers and seed collectors, the vegetables and fruits we enjoy today wouldn’t exist. We owe the existence and popularity of crops like okra, eggplants, and sweet potatoes to thousands of Black Americans who cultivated them.

Famous Black agriculturalists like Dr. George Washington Carver, Dr. Marie Clark Taylor, and Dr. Booker T. Whatley are responsible for dozens of farming and gardening initiatives. Compost, crop rotation, and how plants respond to light are some concepts these three Doctors studied and popularized. Not only did they study and learn about plants, but they also taught their local communities how to reap the benefits of their research. 

This February, we celebrate the Black gardeners, farmers, and growers of America’s past, present, and future. Now more than ever, it’s important to recognize the importance of community gardening. No person is an island, and the same is true for gardeners. Share seeds, garden with your neighbors, and volunteer in your local community garden to get involved!

Collards

Georgia Southern Collards Seeds

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Georgia Southern Collards Seeds

Cowpea Bean

California Blackeye #5 Bush Cowpea Bean Seeds

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California Blackeye Bush Cowpea Seeds

Okra

Clemson Spineless 80 Okra Seeds

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Clemson Spineless 80 Okra Seeds

Soybean

A cluster of fuzzy green Glycine max pods hanging from a vine, surrounded by dark green leaves.
This is one of the crops that create the backbone of the agricultural industry.
common-name common name Soybean
botanical-name botanical name Glycine max
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun
height height 2-6’
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 2-11

Soybeans are a crucial crop in America. Alongside corn and wheat, they form the backbone of our agricultural industry. Though many growers now love soybeans, Dr. George Washington Carver loved and promoted them widely in the late 1800s and early 1900s. His work at Tuskegee University is essential to our understanding of plants and their effect on the soil.

At the time, many agricultural fields were wrecked by decades of cotton growing. The soil was exhausted and needed rejuvenation. Soybeans are nitrogen fixers—they partner with nitrogen-fixing bacteria near their roots to turn atmospheric nitrogen into a form that plants can access. 

Dr. Carver taught that soybeans help the farmer and the soil. They provide an easy cash crop while boosting nitrogen rates in depleted soils. Honor Dr. Carver and his legacy with a few soybean plants in your garden. They grow like bean plants, with trifoliate leaves and thin, spindly stems. Fresh and dried soybeans are edible, adding protein and fiber to the meal.

Peanut

A pile of freshly unearthed Arachis hypogaea with light brown shells still attached to the plant’s tangled roots and green stems.
This soil-enriching crop was promoted by Dr. Carver, a famous Black agriculturalist.
common-name common name Peanut
botanical-name botanical name Arachis hypogaea
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun
height height 1-2’
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 2-11

Peanuts are another soil-enriching cash crop that Dr. Carver promoted during his lifetime. The plants’ roots partner with nitrogen-fixing bacteria, creating fertile soil wherever they grow. Though they originated from South America, they came to North America via the African Diaspora.

Peanuts grow nut-like seeds, though they’re leguminous like beans and peas. They form yellow pea-like flowers above the ground. After pollination, the flowers form pods and dive underground to form nutritious peanuts. 

Sweet Potato

Several freshly dug Ipomoea batatas with smooth pinkish-purple skin resting on dark soil, next to green leaves and a white flower.
This crop has been popularized by black chefs using it in recipes like sweet potato pie.
common-name common name Sweet Potato
botanical-name botanical name Ipomoea batatas
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
height height 6-10’
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 9-11

The sweet potato is a popular food staple of the southern U.S., growing well in the warm summer weather that’s common in the region. Black chefs helped popularize the root crop, using it in recipes like sweet potato pie. 

In 1881, Abby Fisher published a recipe for homemade sweet potato pie in her book What Mrs. Fisher Knows About Old Southern Cooking. She’s the second African-American woman to publish a cookbook in America, carving the way for later generations. The first is Mrs. Malinda Russell; she self-published A Domestic Cookbook: Containing a Careful Selection of Useful Receipts for the Kitchen in 1866!

Dr. Carver loved sweet potatoes too. He experimented with using them in over 100 new ways, creating demand for the roots with new products and machinery. 

Though sweet potatoes form seeds, you’re better off planting “slips.” Slips are cut pieces of the tubers with sprouts. Plant them after frost dissipates from your area. 

Okra

A close-up of fresh okra pods glistening in the sunlight, promising a succulent taste of summer. Elegant yellow flowers adorned with delicate petals, attracting pollinators with their vibrant hues and sweet nectar.
This crop with mucilaginous pods originated from Africa and has made its way to North America.
common-name common name Okra
botanical-name botanical name Abelmoschus esculentus
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun
height height 4-5’
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 2-11

Okra hails from Africa and Asia where it grows in warm, tropical regions. Like peanuts, the crop came to North America from Africa. It’s incredibly popular in the South where it often grows perennially. Cooks fry the chopped pods and serve them with dipping sauce. They’re delicious! 

Though delicious, the pods are mucilaginous, meaning they have a slimy coating inside. Some people don’t mind the sliminess, though others vehemently dislike it! Try a few first to see if you like them before planting. 

If you don’t like their taste, consider growing them as ornamental plants! Space a few around your flowering shrubs and perennials. They sprout mallow-like yellow flowers with maroon throats that are gorgeous under the summer sunshine. 

Black-Eyed Pea

A heap of small beige Vigna unguiculata alongside fresh green pods, some still attached to stems.
They are legumes that originated from Africa and are essential to traditional African-American dishes.
common-name common name Black-Eyed Pea
botanical-name botanical name Vigna unguiculata subsp. unguiculata
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun
height height 1-6’
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 2-11

Black-eyed peas, or cowpeas, are legumes. They’re beans, not peas, growing well during the summer. Popular in the South, they are an essential ingredient in traditional African-American dishes like Hoppin’ John. It’s a delicious recipe with slow-cooked black-eyed peas, collards, and ham, and it’s perfect for warming the belly on cold winter days.

Dr. Carver knew the importance of these beans. He wrote about them in one of his bulletins, saying, “…they are absolutely indispensable in a wise crop rotation and in the rational feeding of both man and beast.” In this, he meant that black-eyed peas feed livestock with forage and farmers with edible beans. They also fix nitrogen. Plant pea seeds during Black History Month or later in the spring to maximize soil fertility. 

These beans originated from Africa, where they grow perennially under continuous warmth. Though they grow best in the South, you can plant them in summer from USDA hardiness zones 5 through 10. 

Gilo Eggplant

Several glossy, dark green Solanum aethiopicum with curved stems, neatly arranged in a round woven basket.
The ‘Gilo’ is a highly decorative eggplant that originated in West Africa.
common-name common name Gilo Eggplant
botanical-name botanical name Solanum aethiopicum ‘Gilo’
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun
height height 3-5’
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 10-12

Gilo eggplants are similar to traditional ones, with tasty flesh and thin skin. They form a white globe that looks like a teardrop. They’re highly decorative!

Though they originated in West Africa, they’re now popular throughout the East Coast and southern U.S. Some other names include garden egg and scarlet eggplant. They’re close relatives of pumpkin-on-a-stick, a lovely decorative eggplant that first grew in West Africa. 

Highly versatile, gilo eggplants add savory flavor to boiled, sauteed, and roasted dishes. You’ll often find these eggplants in cans or jars at grocery stores, labeled “garden eggs.” Though this is an easy way to try them, they taste much better when you grow them in your garden. 

Collards

The plants have large, dark green leaves that are smooth and glossy, with a firm texture, growing upright from a central stalk.
This is one of the main staples of African, African-American, and Southern recipes.
common-name common name Collards
botanical-name botanical name Brassica oleracea var. viridis
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
height height 2-3’
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 6-10

Collards, or collard greens, are cabbage relatives with sweet, nutrient-rich leaves. The leaves are the main vegetable of the crop, as they’re wide, thick, and hardy. Both heat and frost-tolerant, collards are perfect for growing in warm temperate zones throughout the U.S.

These greens are an essential part of American history, as they’re one of the main staples of African, African-American, and Southern recipes. They originated in Greece, where they traveled South through Africa. From Africa, they made their way to the U.S. during the African Diaspora.

If you’re looking to honor Southern cooking, you’ll need a collard or two in your garden. The leaves cook down well like Swiss chard. Sauté butter with onions and garlic, add broth, then place chopped, washed collards in the boiling broth. Let them simmer until soft and tender for a nutrient-rich and delicious side dish!

Cantaloupe

A round, netted Cucumis melo hanging from a vine, surrounded by large, rough green leaves and tendrils.
In Africa, gardeners and farmers enjoy cantaloupe as it is a main staple of cuisines.
common-name common name Cantaloupe
botanical-name botanical name Cucumis melo
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun
height height 6-9’
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 2-11

Like collards and black-eyed peas, cantaloupe is a main staple of cuisines spanning continents—gardeners and farmers enjoy it in Africa, the southern U.S., India, and Australia, among other places. It grows like watermelon, sprouting edible melons from long-travelling vines. Lush, green leaves shade the maturing melons while they capture sunlight.

Unlike most other crops on this list, this fruit is best fresh. Plant cantaloupe seeds after the last frost (around Black History Month for warmer zones), and you’ll enjoy fresh melons in 80 days. They’re ready to eat when they emit a sweet-smelling odor and have brown netting on their skin.

Sesame

Sturdy looking Sesamum indicum with yellowish leaves and vibrant green fruits
The sesame originated from various parts of the world and has spread throughout parts of Africa.
common-name common name Sesame
botanical-name botanical name Sesamum indicum
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun
height height 1-4’
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 10-12

Sesame may not be the first plant you think of planting in February, though it’s a perfect plant to honor Black History Month! It originated from areas like India, Assam, Bangladesh, and the West Himalayas, and it naturalized itself throughout parts of Africa. For thousands of years, chefs and cooks used it in China, Egypt, and Babylon.

Sesame is incredibly popular in the South, where it grows well in long, warm summers and plenty of direct sunlight. Look for sweet recipes, such as benne wafers, which consist of ground sesame and whole seeds. Benne wafers are a staple cookie in South Carolina and are common in stores around the state. Make them yourself with homegrown sesame for tasty treats unlike any you’ve had before!

African Rice

A close-up of ripening Oryza glaberrima with golden stalks bending under the weight of plump grains.
This is a well-known crop in Africa that is easy to grow and does not require flooding.
common-name common name African Rice
botanical-name botanical name Oryza glaberrima
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun
height height 2-4’
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 10-12

This drought-tolerant rice is rapidly disappearing from the world! Rice strains of Oryza sativa are replacing this African native rice, displacing it from its original habitats. Preserve this rice’s history by growing a plant this year. Rice is easier to grow than you’d think, and it often doesn’t require flooding like in commercial farming.

After growing the rice, collect and harvest the seeds. You’ll enjoy whole grain edible rice, and you’ll have seeds to plant the next year. Though this rice is well-known in Africa, it’s been a popular grain in the American South since the early 1800s. You’ll sometimes find it by the name “red-bearded upland rice.”

Flowering Cherry

A Prunus serrulata tree covered in clusters of soft pink blossoms, with dark twisting branches visible underneath.
The flowering cherry tree is a legacy of Roland Maurice Jefferson, the first Black botanist for the United States National Arboretum.
common-name common name Flowering Cherry
botanical-name botanical name Prunus serrulata
sun-requirements sun requirements Full sun to partial shade
height height 15-25’
hardiness-zones hardiness zones 5-8

Not a crop, the flowering cherry tree is an iconic ornamental species native to Japan, China, and Korea. Plant one today and you’ll honor the legacy of the first Black botanist for the United States National Arboretum, Roland Maurice Jefferson. He started at the arboretum replacing plant labels before becoming head botanist. 

His professional work is essential in our understanding of crabapple and cherry genetics, as well as the history of these two tree species. He studied the flowering cherry specimens in the arboretum and Washington D.C., taking cuttings to propagate further. After letting the cuttings grow, he presented the trees to Japan alongside First Lady Nancy Reagan.

These are some of the dozens of iconic achievements Roland Jefferson made during his lifetime! Sadly, he passed away in 2020. Before his passing, he donated the Roland Maurice Jefferson Collection. It includes his records on cherry and crabapple cultivation. Honor his incredible legacy with a flowering cherry; they grow well in containers!

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