Growing PeasGrowing peas in your spring garden...for me it was several years of frustration and failure until a friend gave me advice from his mother on how to grow peas successfully. I followed her advice this year, and my pea growing experience has been the best ever. I have harvested 21 pints of peas from one single experimental 20 foot row planting. I'd like to express my heartfelt thanks to my friend Brain Rohleder and his mother Shirley Millard for their assistance and advice on the right way to successfully grow peas.Here's how it's done... Growing Peas - Planting Although there are over 1000 varieties of peas in the world today there are basically only three types: Garden peas (the kind that you shell out and only eat the seeds), Snow Peas (the flat pods you see in dishes at Chinese restaurants), and a more recent development - Sugar Snap Peas, which can be eaten pod-and-all even when the pea pod and seeds are fully formed. Peas are one of the earliest of spring garden crops to be planted. Actual planting should be done in the late winter, as soon as soil can be worked. I planted in early march this year, and was told I was already late! Peas like rich well drained soil, and can benefit from the addition of compost to their soil prior to planting. I followed recommendations and planted the "Early Alaska" variety, although I had some trouble finding them, they were well worth the effort. If you can't find Early Alaska, Laxton's Progress is another very good variety. Plant peas in 5-6 very closely spaced rows to make one single row planting. In fact plant them as closely together as you can without digging up a row that is already planted. I managed to get my rows 3-4 inches apart. Dig the first furrow and plant peas about 2 inches apart. use soil from the second furrow to cover the first, soil from the third furrow to cover the second, etc... continuing on until you're done. Peas will begin to sprout in 7 to 10 days. Growing Peas - Trellising If you plan on growing peas, remember that peas are vine plants, and require a trellis to grow and produce to their full potential. I used steel fence posts about every 10 feet starting at the end and down the length of the row. Then I tied twine between the posts starting with the first run about 6 inches above the ground, and ran additional runs every 10-12 inches up the posts. Here are a couple of lessons learned that I will do differently next year: First - I used natural fiber (sisal) twine, which apparently weakens and breaks too quickly when exposed to the weather. The twine broke in some places right about the time I stared harvesting. Next year I'll use either a heavier twine or a synthetic type. The Peas grew quite well on the twine so the general concept is sound and effective. Second - I ran the twine trellises about 10-12 inches apart. this is a little too far for the peas to reach between runs. They made it, but some of them started to fall over before reaching the next level. Next year, it'll be about 6 inches between twine runs to provide that little extra support. I'll write this up to "live and learn". Always be open to experimenting in your garden, and learn from your mistakes. Keep notes or a journal from year to year if you need to. There are always ways to improve your process. Growing Peas - Harvesting
There's something soothing and relaxing about shelling peas (at least to me). My mind calms and quiets down and time seems to pass slowly, but it feels like I could sit and shell them all day. So much for the "Zen" of shelling peas.... Growing and preserving your own peas can add healthy variety to your family's diet. It can also add yet another layer of self sufficiency to your arsenal, and one less thing you have to rely on the grocery store for. Return to Vegetable Gardening Page from Growing Peas Page
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