How to Grow Guide: Peas

Since you cannot purchase shelling peas or edible pod peas that are freshly picked, this is one vegetable every home garden should have. They taste sweetest right after they have been picked (while you’re still in the garden!). 

Difficulty

Easy

Timing

Peas prefer cool weather. Plant as early in spring as the soil can be worked, from early-May and sow every 1-2 weeks. Sow again from July to mid-August for a fall crop. The success of a fall crop will depend on the weather. Optimal soil temperature: 10-20°C (50-70°F). Seeds should sprout in 7-14 days.

Starting

Soaking seeds is not advised for damp soils. Sow seed 2cm (1″) deep. Space seeds 2-7cm (1-3″) apart in the row. Do not thin.

Growing

Use well-drained soil amended with finished compost. Add 2 cups of rock phosphate or bonemeal for 3m (10′) of row. Plant most varieties along a trellis or use companion planting for support as they climb.

Harvest

Pick when pods fill out and peas are bright green. Make multiple sowings or grow several varieties to extend the harvest season.

How to Blanch Peas

Peas of all kinds freeze particularly well for use in the fall and winter. Prior to freezing, it’s important to briefly submerge peas in boiling water — this kills the natural enzymes that exist in peas that would otherwise reduce the nutrients and cause the peas to break down over time. We recommend using a large pot of water at a rolling boil, and a colander or sieve for dipping. Timing is everything.

For snap and snow peas, dip the whole pods into boiling water for exactly two minutes, and then transfer the pods to a bowl of ice water. For shelled peas, ninety seconds is perfect. Use a timer. After ninety seconds, transfer the peas to a bowl of ice water. All peas (and pods) should then be dried thoroughly on kitchen towels before being stored in zip-top or vacuum bags, with as little air as possible in each bag.

Companion Planting

Superb companions for beans, carrots, celery, corn, cucumber, eggplant, parsley, peppers. potatoes, radish, spinach, strawberries and turnips. Avoid planting peas near onions.

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