How To Grow Peas

by Vidura Randeepa

2 Materials

$50

1 Week

Easy

Pea is a nutritious leguminous vegetable that is widely cultivated throughout the world. It is a cool-season crop. Pea is a rich source of carbohydrates, protein, calcium, phosphorus, vitamins A and C, and a small amount of iron. These Peas are very easy to grow however their growing period is limited to cool weather. Enjoy their taste as soon as you can, because they do not stay fresh long after harvest. The pea is also known as English pea or garden pea and it is a green pod-shaped vegetable. Here we are giving you an easy guide for growing peas in your garden.

1. Select a sunny location and well-draining soil. While peas can grow in part shade, they won’t be as sweet or productive as those grown in full sun. Turn over your pea bed in the fall, mixing in aged manure and/or compost, and mulch well.

2. To speed germination, soak seeds in water overnight before planting. Sow seeds 1 inch deep (slightly deeper if the soil is dry) and about 2 to 2 inches apart. Don’t thin. Plant rows 7 inches apart.

3. Bush peas can reach 18 to 30 inches tall. Pole types can grow to at least 4 to 6 feet tall. Both types benefit from support (especially bush peas above 2 feet and all pole peas) such as thin tree branches or twiggy sticks (pea sticks), trellises, chicken wire, strings, or netting. Plant into the ground near each plant before it germinates.

4. Water peas sparsely with no more than 1 inch per week, unless plants are wilting. Fertilizing plants is not usually required if the plants are mulched deeply with grass clippings, shredded leaves, or another biodegradable material.

5. Most varieties of peas are ready to harvest 60 to 70 days after planting. Pick snow peas when the delicate pods begin to show immature seeds inside. Gather snap peas when the pods become plump yet are still glossy and filled with sweet-tasting peas. Pick shell peas before the pods become waxy. Pick peas in the morning after the dew has dried. They are crispiest then. And pick regularly to encourage more pods to develop. Use two hands when you pick peas to avoid damaging the plant. Hold the vine with one hand and pull pods off with the other.