How to Grow Peas in your Garden !

How to Grow Peas   .    How to Grow Peas Peas Peas are well-suited to cooler temperate c limates. In fact, when temperatures exceed 20C (70F), most varieties of peas will stop producing pods. Peas are part of the legume (Latin Leguminosae) family of vegetables, which extract nitrogen from the air and store it in little nodules along their roots. For this reason, when the plants finish cropping, dig the roots directly into the soil, where they will slowly decompose and release nitrogen for other plants to use. Peas are a prime example of the difference between shop purchased vegetables and those fresh from the garden. Fresh peas win every time, on taste, texture and food value, and that includes frozen peas! If you grow peas year after year, save your seeds from pods that have 7 to 8 peas in the pod. When you fine some that large don't pick them just let them rippen and dry up.  Pick them and save them for the next year in your Frig crisper tray. You will save a lot of money this way and you will get a better crop next year.  Where To Grow Peas Peas will grow on most soils, although they prefer a medium well-dug soil with plenty of organic material. Do not add nitrogen to the soil before planting (or after) - peas extract nitrogen from the air sufficient for the needs. An over-rich soil will cause lots of leafy growth, but a reduced cop of peas. Peas like moisture, so do not plant too near walls or fences. A sunny area is best, although peas are tolerant of partial shade, especially if the shade occurs during the hottest part of the day. Maincrop peas are tall leggy plants (1.8 m / 6 ft), and they can easily be damaged if planted in areas exposed to high wind. Remember that the taller varieties will cast quite a shadow over any other crops nearby. A good plan is to use the space around the pea plants for smaller shade-tolerant plants vegetables -radishes are an excellent choice. When To Sow Peas By sowing a couple of varieties over a month or so, the cropping can be extended from mid-September to Mid April in Arizona.  The table below shows when to sow each type and when they will crop. Specific varieties are recommended later - use the menu on the top left of this page ('pea varieties') if you want to go there now. Type Sow Harvest Sow to Harvest First Early Mid September Mid November 12 weeks Second Early Mid November Mid Jan to Feb 14 weeks Maincrop Mid Jan Mid April to May 15 weeks Prepare the soil in Beginning of September to allow it to settle. Dig to at least a spade's depth (the roots of peas like to grow deeply), incorporating as much organic material as possible. Peat (or peat substitute) is fine because peas 'fix' nitrogen into their roots from the air and have little need for a nitrogen rich soil. Add a handful of bonemeal (two if the soil is poor) per square metre (yard), and incorporate it into the top soil. Peas can be sown outside with no protection in Sept. Remember if planted in pots first to harden off the seedlings prior to planting permanently. Place them outside a few hours a day to begin with. Water them well. For SEEDS Prepare a shallow drill using a trowel, and sow the seed 2.5cm (1in) deep - where more than one row is being sown, the distance apart should equal the eventual height of the plants. Sow the seeds singly at 5cm (2in) intervals - the germination rate is high and over-crowding will affect the health of the plants. One method of increasing the success rate is to soak the pea seeds in water for 4 hours before planting. When planted, water well if the conditions are at all dry. The seedlings should appear in approximately 15 days time. Care of Your Peas The first key need of peas is moisture, and they must be watered throughout their lives when conditions become dry. If the soil has been well-prepared they will have no further need for feeding. A mulch of organic material around the plants will help to keep weeds at bay and preserve moisture. Virtually all pea plants will require support of some kind, consult the seed packet to find out their final height. Most varieties will grow to at least 5 to 6 Feet. The easiest method of support is to place twigs near the plants - the tendrils of the plant will twine around the twigs for support. Thinnings from conifers are ideal - see left diagram. Another method is to erect canes in a row, tying in the plants as they grow - netting (available from most garden centers Loews or HomeDepot) tied to the canes will give extra support. The diagram on the right shows a row of canes secured together with twine at the top. Each plant is grown up its own individual cane and can then spread across the netting. Yet another method, and the best one from our view is to use plastic netting. Plant two rows of peas and when they start to come up, "cage" them with wire netting. The cage is simply supported by four canes at the corners. This method requires no tying in of the plants. And best of all, at the same time as supporting them it protects them from rabbits etc. IMPORTANT: The plants should be pinched out when they reach the top to encourage shoots further down the plants. Where the plants are grown against a fence, plastic netting can be secured to the fence and the tendrils will cling to it pulling the plant up. Garden peas are best when slightly immature - when fully mature they become hard and loose the sweet taste. Harvesting them early also encourages them to produce more. As a guide, peas are normally ready for harvest three weeks after flowering. Peas quickly loose their flavor after harvesting, so pick them just before they are required for cooking. Or Blanc and Freeze them within an hour of picking.  The peas at the bottom of the plant will tend to be ready first, so begin harvesting here, working up as time progresses. When the plant stops producing peas, cut the top of the plant off and leave the roots in the ground to compost for next year. Pest and Disease of Peas Mice will often eat the seeds quicker than you can sow them - if they live in your garden, there is no real cure. Some gardeners coat the seeds in paraffin, others buy a cat! Greenfly and Blackfly - click to the left for more details on how to identify and treat these pests of peas. The other main problems are Pea Moth, Pea Weevil or Pea Thrip. Happy Gardening Roland in Phoenix Here is some Free Gardening Gifts for You ! Follow Us on Twitter                     Follow Us on Facebook Follow us on Linkedin       Follow us on IBOToolBox Below    Happy Gardening Roland in Phoenix         Back to the Home Page 4176 West Hearn Rd, , Phoenix, Az, USA tel: 602-89-8342 | email: Rolandd@cox.net | website: http://www.gogreeninarizona.org/Gardening.html