Tender, home-grown peas significantly surpass store-bought ones in taste and quality. The minute peas are picked, their sugars gradually convert into starch, causing them to lose their distinctive sweetness and flavor. However, if you pick them when they’re small and steam them within an hour, ideally with a sprig of mint, your palettes will relish the irresistible flavor.
Variety of Peas
Peas have numerous types and varieties. By starting with an early variety and following up with a main crop, you can enjoy fresh pea crops throughout the summer. Mangetout peas, eaten pod and all when the peas haven’t yet matured, as well as sugar snaps, eaten whole once the peas have swelled, are two common types to consider. These are generally simpler to grow than podding peas and make a worthy endeavor if you’ve previously struggled with podding peas.
Here are some varieties that you can consider:
Early variety: Early Onward, Feltham First, Hurst Greenshaft, Little Marvel
Main crop: Cavalier, Kelvedon Wonder, Onward
Mangetout peas: Delikata, Oregon Sugar Pod
Sugar snap peas: Sugar Ann, Sugar Snap
Cultivation of Peas
Peas thrive best under sunlit and wind-sheltered environments, fostering insect pollination of the flowers. Enrich the soil with ample garden compost to enhance its moisture retention capacity while ensuring free drainage. Given their leguminous nature, peas favor alkaline to neutral soil (pH7 and above). Consider adding lime to acidic soils during the latter parts of winter [1].
Peas require significant soil moisture during flowering and pod filling, falling short of which can yield small, dry, and tasteless peas. To keep them sufficiently watered, dig a 30cm (12in) deep trench during autumn and fill it with moisture-retaining materials such as garden compost, shredded newspaper, and un-composted garden or kitchen waste. Refill the trench with soil around two weeks before sowing or planting.
When and How to Sow Peas
You can commence sowing as early as March, provided the soil is sufficiently warm. Use cloches or sheets of polythene to pre-warm the soil 2-3 weeks before sowing. For an earlier blooming season, consider sowing the seeds indoors within small pots filled with potting compost.
A simple technique to sow is to dig a flat-bottomed trench about 5cm deep and 20-25cm wide, lightly fork the trench’s bottom, water the soil, and spread the seeds evenly with an approximate gap of 7.5cm. Gently press them into the soil, fill the trench back, and slightly firm down.
Maintain a fortnightly interval between sowing sessions for rolling crops throughout the summer. By growing multiple types and sowing across different times of the year, you can relish fresh peas from June until October.
Choosing the Right Spot and Variety for Growing Peas
Your pea plants will need a sunny, moisture-retaining, and nutrient-rich location, and taller varieties will need substantial space for plant support. Judging from the variety of pea types, ranging from early-maturing to superior sweetness, it’s wise to spend some time deciding which ones suit your requirements. Prior to sowing, prepare the ground well, adding copious amounts of compost or well-rotted manure in advance.
Care for your peas
During dry periods, ensure abundant watering, especially during flowering and pod setting, by soaking the soil at least once or twice a week[^1^]. Mulch the area around the pea plants to conserve soil moisture and feed them high potassium liquid feed like tomato feed weekly for bigger yield. Except for dwarf varieties, peas need support to grow. Insert twiggy branches beside the plants when they’re 7.5-10cm high. Pea netting supported by sturdy canes is another option, though disentangling the plants at the end of the growing season is challenging. Chicken wire, lightweight wooden trellis, or willow panels are better alternatives, looking especially winsome when you grow peas as an ornamental feature.
Harvesting Peas
Maintain a keen watch on the maturing peas because the sooner they’re picked, the sweeter they taste. Timely and frequent harvesting encourages the plants to produce more. Start harvesting from the bottom as the peas mature first there and gradually work your way up. While you can consider freezing your peas for future consumption, they are most delicious when eaten fresh.
A Few Interesting Facts About Peas
- Round, smoother pea seeds are hardier than wrinkled ones, which are known for their sweetness.
- Peas have been cultivated so long that they were discovered in Egyptian tombs.
- The tendrils of the pea plant are also edible.
- A serving of peas contains as much vitamin C as two large apples and more fiber than a slice of whole grain bread [2].
Common Pest and Disease Problems with Peas
Watch out for signs of powdery mildew, a fungal disease that appears as a white mildew on pea plants. It stunts growth and causes leaves to shrivel. Drought-stressed plants are more susceptible to this disease [1]. Pea Moths and Mice are common pests that can be prevented by using insect-proof mesh and holly leaves respectively. Pigeons can strip the leaves off pea plants, and should be kept away using netting.
Key features of Peas
Flowering season(s): Spring, Summer
Foliage season(s): Spring, Summer, Autumn
Sunlight: Full sun
Soil type: Chalky, Clay, Loamy, Sandy
Soil pH: Alkaline
Soil Moisture: Moist but well-drained
Ultimate height: Up to 1.2m (4ft)
Ultimate spread: Up to 45cm (18in)
Time to ultimate height: 6 months
Planting season: Jan-Feb-Mar-Apr-May-Jun-Jul-Aug-Sep-Oct-Nov-Dec
Time to harvest: 3-6 months
These easy steps and tips ensure that you enjoy sweet and nutritious homegrown peas right from your backyard.
