LATIN NAME: Pisum sativum
BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Peas grown in your own garden taste sweeter and are more flavorful than store-bought peas. Peas require cool weather - they quit bearing when summer heat arrives. Grow green (shelling) peas for the round seeds within the pod; snow peas (sugar peas) for the tender immature pods; and snap peas for the high yield and succulent sweet pods that stay tender even when mature. Most peas grow on weak vines that climb by tendrils and need support, although plants of short bush-type cultivars prop up each other. Peas, like other legumes, house nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their roots that improve the soil.
GERM. DATE: Early June
GERM. TIME: 7-14 days
TRANSPLANT DATE: June 22, 2009
TYPE OF PLANT: Vegetable
BLOOM CYCLE:
pH LEVEL:
SEED DEPTH: 2 inches
HEIGHT OF PLANT: 24 inches (No support)
WIDTH OF PLANT:
PLANT SPACING: 6 inches
ROW SPACING: 24 inches
DAYS TO HARVEST: 63 days
ZONE REQUIREMENTS: Can be grown in all climates; requires temperatures below 85°F, with 65° to 70°F ideal. Prefers damp weather.
FERTILIZER REQUIREMENTS: Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizer.
LIGHT REQUIREMENTS: Full sun to part shade
WATER REQUIREMENTS: Moist
SOIL REQUIREMENTS: Well-drained soil, high in organic matter
DISEASE PROBLEMS:
PEST/INSECT PROBLEMS: Aphids
SOLUTIONS: Hose off aphids with hard stream of water.
HOW TO GROW: To prevent splitting, don’t soak seed before planting. In the North, plant as soon as soil can be worked in spring and again in fall. In the South, plant in fall and late winter. Sow seeds 2 inches deep, 2 to 3 inches apart, in rows 18 to 24 inches apart. Plant early and plant main-season cultivars for continued harvest or plant same cultivar at 2-week intervals.
Provide trellis for vining types; string between 2 poles for low-bush types to lean on. Cover with deer netting to discourage rabbits and other mammals.
HARVEST NOTES: Pick shell peas when pods are shiny and filled out. Pick sugar peas when pods are about 3 inches, still shiny, and seeds visible as small lumps, but not large and round. Pick snap peas when seeds start plumping within pods.
SPECIAL CARE/NOTES: This cultivar produces early, high yields. Water the ground, not the plants (wetting flowers can interfere with pollination). Matures earlier in sandy soil; yields more in heavy soil.
STORE BY: Refrigerate immediately; store in plastic bag for up to 10 days.
PRESERVE BY:
USES FOR PLANT: Can be eaten fresh or used in cooking.
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