How to Grow Peas

Peas Germination Information

How to Sow Peas:

• Sow seeds outdoors as soon as the soil can be worked in early spring
• Bury them deeply in the soil at 1-2 inches
• Seeds will germinate in 7-10 days
• Sow successively every 10-14 days until 2 months before temperatures are above 75°
• In Zone 8 and warmer, sow in the fall for a winter crop
• Prior to sowing and to help with nitrogen fixation, dip the seeds in an innoculative solution of nitrogen-fixing bacteria
• It is not recommended to sow seeds indoors
• When sowing seed outdoors, we recommend a maximum planting depth of 4X the width of the seed

How to Grow Peas:
Spacing: Thin seedlings 1-2 inches apart. Space the dwarf varieties in rows 18-24 inches apart; space the vining types in rows 30-36 inches apart

Additional Care: The vining types need the support of a trellis system. Double rows of the vining types can be spaced 2-3 feet apart; the rows comprising the pairs should be spaced 30 inches apart and a trellis placed between them. This cool and humid weather crop should be grown in full sun in a fertile, sandy, rich, deep, well-drained soil. Plants will decline in the heat of summer

Appearance and Use:

These shrubby or vining plants bear white flowers that are followed by pods containing the edible, smooth or wrinkled Peas. Harvest them in the early morning when the pods are fully swollen. They should be filled out, but not bulging, and the seeds should not be hard. Snow Peas and Sugar Peas are grown for their edible, soft pods. Harvest them when young, succulent, and still flat. Pick all types regularly to keep the plants producing pods

About Peas:
Botanical name: Pisum sativum
Pronunciation:  pe’sum sa-te’vum
Lifecycle:  Perennial
Origination: Fabaceae; native to Eurasia