Stems that climb from a few inches to eight feet in a single season, and pods whose plump green seeds are the only part you actually eat: that is the pea (Pisum sativum). Give it sun, rich light soil and steady moisture, for it hates dry spells, and you will be picking about three months after sowing.
| Name | Pisum sativum |
|---|---|
| Family | Fabaceae |
| Type | annual |
| Height | 1 ½ to 8 feet (50 to 250 cm) |
| Exposure | full sun, part sun |
| Soil | rich and rather moist |
| Harvest | late spring to summer, 3 months after sowing |
From sowing to harvest, each one of these best practices will enhance the quality of your peas.
→ Also: grow peas in containers
Peas can be sown in fall (mild climates) or at the end of winter and at the beginning of spring (harsh winters).
Sow directly in the plot:
→ Read also: green pea container growing
Skip the nitrogen fertiliser, since peas fix their own through root nodules.
Well-rotted compost worked into the bed before sowing gives the light, rich soil peas ask for, without the lush growth fresh manure would cause.
Wait until the ground has drained and warmed a little before sowing, because pea seed sitting in cold, sodden soil rots instead of germinating.
Leave enough space between rows to slide in supports and reach the pods, allowing more for the tall varieties that climb to eight feet.
Avoid sowing peas where peas or beans grew last, as soil-borne root rots build up on the same ground.
Not every pea goes in the ground at the same moment: round types are the hardy early ones, while wrinkled and snap types wait for warmer soil. Use the table to match the pea you have bought with the right sowing slot and depth.
| Type of pea or sowing | When to sow | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Round pea cultivars (English green peas) | Late winter to mid-spring | The conventional peas, sown in the plot |
| Wrinkled pea | Spring | Better kept for a spring sowing |
| Snap bean and wrinkled green pea | Late spring to early summer | Sown later than the round types |
| Autumn sowing, mild climates only | Autumn | Seeds buried deeper than usual |
Whichever slot you choose, count on three to four months between sowing and the first full pods.
Onions, shallot and garlic do not make good companions for peas.
Peas love growing near certain vegetables such as: carrot, celery, cabbage, cucumber and pickle, lettuce, corn salad, turnip, potato, radish.
Peas hate these vegetables: garlic, shallot, onion, parsley, leek, tomato.
Cut the haulm off at ground level after harvest and leave the nodule-bearing roots in the soil, so the nitrogen they fixed feeds the cabbages or lettuces that follow.
Slip radish and lettuce between the pea rows: radishes finish in about a month, well before the peas cast real shade, while the slower lettuce simply keeps cropping in it.
Place the pea supports on the bed’s poleward side — north in the Northern Hemisphere, south in the Southern Hemisphere — so the climbing stems cast their shade away from shorter neighbours.
At the beginning, reduce watering in order to trigger flowering instead of foliage.
Immediately after blooming, water abundantly because that is when pods form to produce your peas.
Water pea plants at the base rather than over the leaves, since prolonged leaf wetness encourages downy mildew and fungal leaf spots; powdery mildew, by contrast, favours humid air but dry foliage.
If the soil dries out while the pods are filling, the pods stay flat and the seeds turn small and tough.
Push a finger into the soil a couple of inches down and water only if it feels dry there.
Peas in pots dry out far faster than those in the plot.
Timing of the harvest for green peas is important because it determines harvest quality.
You can harvest pea from spring to fall, depending on the variety and when you plant it.
Pods at the base of the plant fill first, so work your way up the stems as picking goes on.
Go over the row every two or three days; regular picking keeps new pods coming.
Pods that have turned dull, hard or pale are past eating, but can be left on the plant to dry fully for next year’s seed.
The part of the plant that is eaten is the seed itself. It isn’t common to eat other parts of the green pea plant, not even the seed pods.
Although growing normal green pea is usually be a bit demanding, another type of pea is much easier to grow: snow pea (or summer pea).
You’ll be surprised at how fast this plant grows, it will need to be staked as soon as it has reached a few inches.
Birds love Pisum sativum seeds, and it is best to set up a net to guard against them, or you may see your harvest disappear in hours…
Light plant-based mulch will retain moisture, add organic matter and avoid weed growth.
