Peas are another plant that comes in a lot of varieties. The three main divisions of peas are English peas, snow peas, and snap peas. English peas need to be shelled as the pods are not edible. Snow peas have an edible shell, but the peas themselves are small. Snap peas are a cross between the English and snow peas with the best of both worlds having plumper peas and an edible shell. Even from here peas have a ton of variety as they have been widely cultivated for multiple regions and uses.
Pea Details
- Family: Fabaceae
- Growing Season: Early spring or Late Winter depending on your zone.
- Growing Zones: 3 through 10
- Spacing: 1-4 inches (2.5-10 cm) apart in rows 18 inches (45 cm) apart
- Seed to Harvest time: 65-75 days
- Indoor Starting: Not recommended
- Earliest Planting: As soon as ground can be worked
- Watering: Water when soil is dry, keeping soil moist, but never wet. Do not over water. When peas are flowering avoid heavy watering.
- Sunlight Requirements: Full sun to partial shade
- Planting: plant peas 1-2 inches (2.5-5 cm) deep. Provide your peas with a trellis to climb.
- Weeding: Peas can tolerate minor weeds, but weeding should be done at least weekly.
- Harvesting: To harvest peas, pick them straight from the vine. English peas are ready when the pods are plump and full. Snow peas should be picked just as they start to plump up, but before the peas themselves fully mature. Snap peas are harvested somewhere between the two conditions, but you should refer to the varieties recommendations as they have different harvesting times.
- Known Pests: Aphids, use insecticidal soap or introduce a predatory insect species like ladybugs where permissible. Powdery Mildew, spray affected leaves with vinegar mixture at a ratio of 2 tablespoons vinegar to 1 gallon of water. Fusarium, use a food safe fungicide.
More About Peas
Peas are one of the earliest spring harvest you can get from your garden. Peas are prolific producers and yield a lot all at once. While they are a vining plant and can take up some space with a trellis, they can actually be planted quite densely. The biggest drawback to planting peas at a really high density can be in the form of pests. Fusarium can be hard to control if it spreads to all your plants, and aphids can get way out of hand if not caught early.
Peas come in a lot of varieties, even between the three main categories. They are very well crossbred and their genetics are well understood thanks to them being an early model organism studied by Gregor Mendel, the father of genetic inheritance. Now we can find peas with all sorts of colored flowers, pods, and pea types the world over.
Peas Tasting and Food Notes
Peas have a mild sweet and nutty flavor when cooked. Peas that are eaten raw have a fresh and crisp taste and are more grassy overall, but still enjoyable and pleasantly sweet.
Peas are often paired with savory dishes. They find there way onto plates as a side dish, steamed, buttered and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper. They also find their way into dishes like pot pies as they are at home with gravy, meat, and bread.
Peas are the star of the now less common pea soup which is almost entirely comprised of peas blended to a fine liquid. Pea soup has fallen out of favor in the US, potentially due to it’s use in media in the 80s and 90s as an analog for or inducer of vomit.
Still, despite pea soup being maligned peas are a very common food world over. They can be dried and stored for long periods of time just as easily as they can be frozen. Fresh peas have the most nutrients and flavor, but shelf stable foods are essential for modern homesteading and waste prevention.
Should I Grow Peas In My Garden?
Peas are a great thing to grow if you want quick and plentiful harvests in your garden. They are relatively easy to care for and don’t take a lot of effort if you’re a first time gardener. The only reason we would recommend someone avoid peas is if they have recent problems with too many aphids or mold infestations in the garden. While peas can a great treat if you get to the harvest, keeping them alive and your garden healthy requires control on some of their pests early on. If you have a well balanced and well maintained garden, peas are a lovely choice!