By Kelly Miller
Growing peas is easy, and these tasty legumes are among the most rewarding crops to raise from seed to harvest. Every aspect of growing a pea plant is engaging and satisfying—from direct sowing the seeds to guiding the growth up a trellis, and finally plucking those plump green pods off the vines.
Here’s everything you need to know to get started with growing peas.
Types of Pea Plants
Green pea plants (Pisum sativum) are annuals in the Fabaceae family. There are three main types of pea plants: snap peas, snow peas, and English peas.
Different Pisum sativum plants have the same growing requirements. However, it’s important to know which pea you’re growing, since the different types are harvested and eaten differently.
Snap Peas
Snap peas produce edible pods and can be eaten whole, raw or cooked.
Snow Peas
Snow peas, or Chinese peas, also have edible pods and can be eaten whole, raw or cooked. Snow peas are flatter than snap peas. This variety is a common stir-fry ingredient in Chinese cuisine.
English Peas
English peas, or garden peas, must be removed from their inedible pods before consuming. If you buy canned or frozen peas, they’re usually English peas.
Other common legumes have “pea” in their names but belong to different genera than green peas. These include cowpeas and chickpeas, both of which are beans, not peas.
Meanwhile, sweet pea flowers (Lathyrus odoratus) also belong to the legume family, but do not produce edible seeds.
Planting Peas
Peas grow well throughout most of North America, in zones 3–11. Direct sowing (planting seeds in the ground) is the best planting method, since peas are cold-hardy and they don’t like having their young roots disturbed.
Plant peas in early spring, around five weeks before the expected last frost. Young pea plants can handle very cold weather, and they’ll be one of the first crops you harvest later in spring.
Peas planted too late in spring will suffer when midsummer heat arrives. However, you can plant a second crop in August for a late autumn harvest. In areas with mild winters, you can also plant peas in late fall or winter for an early-spring harvest.
Plant peas in full sun. Sow seeds 1″ (2.5 cm) deep and 3″ (7.5 cm) apart in fertile, well-draining soil. Peas grow well in various soils. In poor soil, mix in well-rotted manure or compost. After sowing, gently water the ground enough to moisten the soil without flushing out the seeds.
Pea Plant Care
Peas require less watering than many other garden veggies. Water whenever the top 2″ (5 cm) of soil is dry. Water the plant’s base, rather than sprinkling water on the foliage. Water thoroughly—one or two strong waterings per week is better than light daily waterings that don’t reach the roots.
Keep in mind that peas are often grown during rainy parts of the year, when additional watering may be unnecessary.
Pea plants require little or no fertilizer because of a biological process called nitrogen fixation. Peas are “nitrogen fixers,” which means they actually add nitrogen into the soil via nodules that develop on their roots. As a result, peas do not benefit from nitrogen-rich fertilizer. If you provide feed, use a low-nitrogen blend, such as one with a 4-12-12 or 5-10-10 ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.
Trellising Pea Plants
Pea plants are climbers with weak, vining stems that won’t stand up without support. Gardeners provide that support in the form of a trellis, an upright latticework frame designed for guiding the upward growth of vining plants.
A pea plant’s new shoots are called tendrils. Pea tendrils are thin and weak, and may struggle to reach the bottom rung of a trellis without assistance. Thus, it’s helpful to create extra levels by running twine across a trellis’s posts, starting at a height of 3” (7.5 cm). This gives the young plant something to latch onto so it can keep growing.
Instead of a trellis, you can support pea plants with nothing but poles and twine. This method is effective for long rows. Simply set up poles at both ends of a row, then connect them with lengths of twine at intervals of around three inches, to create a ladder for the plants to climb.
Growing Peas in Containers
Peas grow well in containers, although the yields may be smaller depending on the variety of pea you choose. For container gardening, select a pea variety that’s compact and bushy. Suitable varieties for containers include Sugar Ann, Magnolia Blossom, Bingo, and Patio Pride.
Use a container that’s at least 12 inches (30 cm) tall and wide for growing peas. Container peas require the same care as in-ground peas, but may need more frequent watering and may benefit more from one or two fertilizer treatments.
Harvesting Peas
Pea harvests begin 50–60 days after planting seeds. Each plant can produce pods for 2–4 weeks. Succession planting (sowing several rounds of seeds over a few weeks) extends the harvest.
To harvest, use scissors or pruners to snip pods from their stems. Pulling peas off by hand isn’t recommended, since this can damage the stem or even uproot the plant, which is more lightweight and delicate than it seems.
Harvest snap peas after the seeds (the peas) have started to plump up the pods. Pods that are harvested while they’re still bite-sized are delicious raw. If pods are left on the plant, they’ll grow bigger, but will develop a tougher consistency. Larger, more mature pods are still good for eating, but they’re more suitable for cooking, rather than eating raw.
Harvest snow peas when the seeds have started to form bumps, but before the entire pod becomes fat. Harvest while the pods are still quite flat and tender to enjoy them at their most flavorful. When they’re left to fatten up, snow peas become starchy and less tasty.
Harvest English peas when the pods are plump. To test ripeness, open a pod. If the seeds inside still have some space between them, then they haven’t reached ideal ripeness. The seeds should be swelled enough so that they touch one another.
If there are any overripe pods on the vine, remove them to help the plant redirect its energy toward new growth.
When a plant is done producing, snip it at its base. Compost the plant and leave the roots in the ground, where they’ll enrich the soil. Since pea harvests come early, it’s often possible to plant something new in the same space after pulling up the plant—with the benefit of the healthy soil the peas leave behind.
Growing Peas as Microgreens
Peas are an excellent choice for growing microgreens (also known as shoots in the case of peas), especially in winter when pea greens can provide fresh, vibrant flavor and impressive nutrition. Pea microgreens are packed with vitamins A, C, and folic acid, making them a healthy addition to salads, sandwiches, stir-fries, and smoothies.
To grow pea microgreens successfully, start by soaking whole pea seeds overnight in cool water. This step speeds up germination. Next, spread the soaked seeds evenly across a tray lined with moistened soil or a growing medium. Lightly press the seeds into the soil and cover them until they sprout—this typically takes 2–3 days. Once tiny shoots appear, remove the cover and ensure they receive adequate light to promote strong growth.
Pea microgreens are usually ready to harvest within 10–14 days, when the shoots are about three to four inches tall and have developed their first set of leaves. Use scissors to snip just above the soil line for the freshest taste and texture. Enjoy your homegrown pea microgreens right away or store them in an airtight container in the fridge for later use.
More Garden Legumes
Seeking more tasty legumes for your garden? Try another favorite “pea” plant with our tips on: How to Grow Chickpeas.
0 Comments