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Quick guide:
· Optimal growing temperatures are between 55°F and 65°F.
· Peas need less fertilizer than other crops.
· Plant seeds as soon as the ground has thawed and the soil is workable.
· As soon as you pick the peas, cool them quickly. They will keep in the refrigerator for a week or more.
Peas
· Peas are a traditional home garden crop all over the world. The most common type is the shelling pea, also called the "garden pea" or "English pea." Edible pea pods include snow peas and sugar snap peas.
· Some varieties with very small peas are available. Small peas are not necessarily sweeter, tenderer or better flavored than larger peas.
· Snow pea pods are thin and tender, eaten when there are still only tiny traces of peas inside. Sugar snap peas are ready to eat when the peas inside are nearly mature and the pods are still tender and juicy, similar to snap beans.
· Pea vines are also edible. You can steam or sautée the tender shoot tips.
· Dried peas are also common in soups, after fully maturing and drying.
Soil
· Have your soil tested.
· If your soil tests high in phosphorus, use a low or no phosphorus fertilizer.
· Many soils, from sandy to heavy clay, are good for peas as long as you have well-drained soil.
· Peas grow best in soil with a pH between 6 and 7.5.
· Use well-rotted manure or compost at planting.
· Continuous use of high phosphorus fertilizer, or high rates of manure or manure compost results in phosphorus buildup in the soil.
· Although phosphate fertilizer applied to soil is bound tightly and resistant to movement in the soil, some runoff may occur. It can then become a major pollution concern in lakes, rivers and streams.
· Do not use any fertilizer containing a weed killer, as it may kill vegetable plants.
Types
· Nearly all pea varieties on the market are open-pollinated, rather than hybrids. A mature pea seed can be saved for planting the following season.
· Different plant types include tall vines, which can grow up to 5 feet tall. A trellis must support these vines as they climb. These varieties grow peas over a longer period. Shorter or "bush" types are only 2 to 3 feet tall, and will flower and then set their crops all at once.
· Leafless and semi-leafless vines may be less prone to disease. They also may be better able to stand without a trellis, because the tendrils tangle themselves up into a mass.
· Other qualities include number of peas per pod, length of pod, days to maturity, and stringed or stringless pods for edible-pod types.
· Garden centers and seed catalogs carry a wide selection of pea varieties. Some varieties are resistant to common pea diseases, including root rots and powdery mildew. Some seed for sale have a fungicide treatment to improve germination in cold soils.
Planting
· Plant the seed as soon as the soil has thawed and is workable.
· Plant tall, vining varieties at the base of the trellis in a single row. Trellises can have two vertical stakes with either string or netting between them.
· You can plant shorter bush types in a single row near a trellis. You can also plant them in a wide row, between 12 and 18 inches wide, where the plants will cling to and support each other.
· Treat the pea seed carefully. Cracked seeds are unlikely to germinate, especially in the cool, moist soil of early spring.
· Place the seeds in a shallow trench, 6 to 7 inches apart. For a wide row, broadcast the seed over the prepared seedbed, with seeds about two inches apart in all directions.
· Evenly place the seeds into a narrow trench in the soil. Make sure they are at a uniform depth and cover them with one inch of soil.
· Firm the soil over the seeds. You may make a second planting a week later, and another a week after that, for a longer harvest period.
· Young pea plants can survive light frosts, and will grow at any temperature above 40F. Good growing temperatures are between 55F and 65F. Once the plants have started to flower and set a crop, frost can be damaging. Watch for any forecast of late spring frost and cover the plants with sheets or row covers if necessary.
Watering
· Because peas grow during a wetter and cooler time of year, you may not need to water them at all.
· During dry springs, you may need to water for good pea growth.
· Try to water the soil, not the vines, to prevent disease.
· Soak the soil when watering, to a depth of at least 1 inch each week during the growing season.
· Sandy soils may need watering more often.
· Mulching 3 to 4 inches deep with grass clippings, weed-free straw, or other organic material will help keep soil moisture and prevent weeds
Care
· Before planting, cultivate with a hoe or other tool, and hand-pull large weeds.
· If peas can get a head start, they can outcompete weeds. But if the weeds get the head start, the pea plants will not grow well.
· Peas have roots that can be close to the surface of the soil. It is important not to cultivate too deeply. Be careful not to damage the plants.
· A wide row of peas, with bushy plants forming a large mass, usually stays weed-free within the row. This set-up only needs weed control between rows.
Harvest & Storage
· Once the pods have begun to fill with peas, observe the plants carefully, sampling the crop each day. Best pea harvest occurs as soon as the peas have achieved their full size, slightly larger than the dry seed you planted. They will also be sweet, tender, thin-skinned and non-starchy.
· Once peas have reached maturity, they will quickly decline in quality. They will be inedible as fresh peas within 1 to 3 days.
· Over-mature peas have a starchy flavor, less sweetness, tough skins and a firm or hard interior.
· There can be a temptation to pick the peas before they mature. This action can reduce yield because the picked peas are too small, and both flavor and sweetness may be poor.
· You can freeze peas. Shelling peas and edible-pod peas are good candidates.
Source:
https://extension.umn.edu/vegetables/growing-peas#diseases-296313
