Growing Peas

pea Growing Peas Only in areas that enjoy a fairly long period of cool weather do peas yield enough to justify the space occupied. Yet the taste of fresh garden or “English” peas is so mouth-watering that most gardeners will find the space for at least a short row.

The length of row you plant depends on the variety and your climate. Where summers are quite cool or where mild winters with only light frosts provide three months or more of growing weather, the heavy yielding, large podded, tall or “pole” varieties may be grown. Elsewhere, the faster-maturing but lower-yielding “dwarf” varieties are more satisfactory. Their compact plants don’t require staking or stringing. Three or four people can keep up with the output of a 10-foot row of tall peas or 20 feet of a dwarf variety.

How to plant

Where winters are mild, plant seeds in early fall so the plants will bear by midspring. Plant a second crop of a fast-maturing variety as early in the spring as the soil can be worked. Elsewhere, sow seeds as soon as the frost is out of the ground. Prepare the soil in the fall to permit earlier planting. Sow seeds 1 inch deep in heavy soil, 2 inches in light soil; and 2 inches apart. If you are growing peas or beans in your garden for the first time, order a small packet of an “inoculant” from a seed catalog. This provides a special kind of soil bacteria that supplies peas with nitrogen for better growth.

Buy seeds already treated with fungicide when possible. In cool soil, at least half of the untreated pea seeds you plant will rot if a prolonged wet, cold spell arrives soon after planting. Raising the level of beds 6 inches above the surrounding soil will improve drainage and reduce rotting of seeds.

Care

For tall varieties, provide sturdy, 5-foot posts with wire stringers laced with twine. Tall peas do not twine but cling weakly and will need frequent tying up. Peas, like beans, won’t thrive in acid soil. Go easy on adding compost and don’t mulch peas; mulching keeps soil moisture at a high level and the soil cooler than is best for peas. Work in a light application of low-nitrogen fertilizer when preparing beds; reapply 30 days later by wateringin fertilizer. Water peas with a soaker or through irrigation furrows. Overhead watering encourages mildew. Toward the season’s end, plants tend to mildew despite careful watering. You can retard it by dusting with sulfur.

Harvesting

Begin harvesting when pods have swelled to almost a round shape and pick them every few days. Don’t let any overly mature pods remain on the plants; they reduce the total yield. Always grasp the pea vines with your free hand when pulling peas to prevent damage to the brittle vines. Pick sugar peas (edible-podded or Chinese) when pods are 2 to 3 inches long and while the seeds are still undeveloped.