Which peas to grow

This is one of the oldest pea varieties still in cultivation. It is also one of the earliest maturing, requiring only 60 days and one of the smallest of the snow pea plants with vines of feet.

When everything else in the garden is shades of green or white, these luxurious blossoms are a sight for longing eyes. If you have never grown peas, this is the year to start!

Spring is coming! Harvesting History needs email addresses. Your Email required. Your Message. Search for:. My cart 0. Wishlist 0. New Customer? Sign up. Search Articles. Generic selectors. Exact matches only. Search in title. Search in content. Search in excerpt. Search in posts. Search in pages. Beneficial Bugs. Container Plants. Garden Tools. Growing Instructions. Seeding the Future. Recent Articles. Harvesting History May 25, For tall types, try ' Alderman ', ' Lincoln ', and ' Wando '.

Multiply this figure by the number of people eating, and you'll know about how much to plant. If you plan to preserve some for winter use, double the amount. Snow peas are usually harvested when they're young, crisp and flat, before the pods have filled out. These peas are eaten pods and all. However, if the pods develop too fast, the peas can be shelled, cooked and eaten as English peas. Most varieties will begin producing 63 to 72 days from planting.

Their need for support depends on whether or not they're grown in wide rows and how tall they grow. Snap peas which gardeners often call sugar snaps after the original variety, Sugar Snap are grown like English peas, picked when the pods have filled out and eaten pods and all.

These sweet-flavored peas are delicious raw or cooked. Sugar snaps left on the vine too long begin to develop tough fiber in the pod walls. These must then be shelled and used as other garden peas, with the fibrous pods discarded. Vining types of both sugar snap and snow peas continue to grow taller and produce peas as long as the plant stays in good health and the weather stays cool. These varieties are generally harvested before the individual peas have grown to the size of BBS, when the pods have reached their full length but are still quite flat.

This stage is usually reached 5 to 7 days after flowering. Snow peas must be picked regularly at least every other day to assure sweet, fiber-free pods. Pods can be stir-fried, steamed or mixed with oriental vegetables or meat dishes. As soon as overgrown pods missed in earlier pickings are discovered, remove them from the plants to keep the plants blooming and producing longer. Enlarging peas inside these pods may be shelled and used as garden peas.

Fat snow pea pods minus the pea enlarging inside should be discarded. Fibers that develop along the edges of larger pods, along with the stem and blossom ends, are removed during preparation. Pea pods lose their crispness if overcooked.

The pods have a high sugar content and brown or burn quickly. Do not stir-fry over heat that is too intense. Pea pods can be stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator for two weeks.

Unlike fresh green peas, pea pods deteriorate only slightly in quality when stored. The first signs of fusarium wilt and root-rot disease are the yellowing and wilting of the lower leaves and stunting of the plants. Infection of older plants usually results in the plants producing only a few poorly filled pods. These diseases are not as prevalent on well-drained soils. Double-dug raised beds amended with abundant organic matter can greatly improve soil aeration and drainage.

Fusarium wilt can be avoided by growing wilt-resistant varieties. When peas are planted on new land, you may increase the yield by inoculating peas with a commercial formulation of nitrogen-fixing bacteria. In an established garden, however, inoculation is less necessary. If you are in doubt, inoculation is a relatively inexpensive process that is easy to do and ensures better plant-nutrient status. There are two common varieties of peas, green garden peas that need shelling and edible-pod peas that are eaten whole.

Snow peas, sugar snap peas Chinese pea pods and many others fall into this category. They are low fiber pods with small wrinkled peas inside. The entire pod is eaten, cooked or raw. Green garden peas are legumes just like dried peas, except they are eaten at the immature stage. They are a cool weather, early spring crop. Harvest edible-pod peas when they are flat. Use both hands. Holding the plant stem in one hand use the other hand to pull off the pod.

Using one hand, you can easily pull up the entire plant. The smaller pods are sweeter and more tender. Use them for eating raw and cook the larger ones. The shelled peas should be plump but not large. Check one until you become familiar with the appearance. The plumpest peas should be gathered before the pod starts to wrinkle on the stem. Old peas taste starchy and mealy. Fresh peas keep for 2 to 3 days in the refrigerator.

The sugar in them quickly begins to turn to starch even while under refrigeration. As much as 40 percent of the sugar is converted in a few hours. Store unwashed peas in perforated plastic bags for a few days. The sooner they are eaten the better.

Green garden peas are a valuable source of protein, iron and insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber helps to reduce serum cholesterol thus reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke.