Peas are one of the most popular vegetables in home gardens. When I began gardening as an adult, every member of my family and every friend grew hordes of peas. Yet I struggled with it – I failed year after year. Now, I love growing peas, but I am keenly aware of how the spring weather in my corner of the world can radically affect the crop.
I live in Pennsylvania, where cold spring rains can saturate the soil and rot the peas planted there. Unexpected cold temperatures can slow growth to almost nothing. In other years, it’s suddenly summer in April, which burns the pea leaves, and the peas themselves are underdeveloped, tough, and chewy.
Once in a while, we have one of those perfect springs, with just enough rain and mild temps, and the pea crop is marvelous. I learned that while peas crave lots of sunlight, they abhor heat. Plant them early in well-drained soil and give them a little shelter from the afternoon sun, and you should have a decent crop. I prefer eating them fresh off the vine when they’re tender and sweet. Others like to jar, can, dry, or freeze them. I suppose it depends on how many people in your household actually eat peas. In my home, it’s just me. As far as I’m concerned, the rest of the family doesn’t know what they’re missing.
Fun fact: Did you know that pea vines are also edible? Steam or sautee the tender shoot tips.
Types of peas – which to choose?
Peas are a cool-weather crop and one of the first vegetables grown in the garden each year. Like beans, every gardener has their favorite variety, and there are many types to choose from. You can base your choice on your local weather, the space you grow them in, or, of course, the flavor and texture.
Shelling peas are, as the name suggests, meant to be shelled, and only the peas within are eaten. These are mostly known as garden peas or English peas. Shelling peas may be smooth or wrinkled. The smooth varieties are best for early sowings and are hardier; wrinkled peas are sweeter and are best sown in late spring or summer. There are also snap peas (aka sugar snap peas), snow peas, and other varieties. Pea pods may be green, yellow, or purple, and the plants may be tall, medium, or dwarf and mature at different times of the season.
Almost all pea varieties for the home garden are open-pollinated (OP). That means you can save your fully mature peas to plant next season, but make sure you store your peas properly. Most types of peas grow on a vine that reaches about 5 feet, so I advise growing them on a trellis in an area sheltered from high winds. There are also bush varieties that mature faster, but their crops appear all at once, making them a great choice for canning or freezing. You can also choose varieties by the number of pea pods, length of pods, days to maturity, and stringed or stringless pods (some varieties are intended for eating pod-and-all). You can also choose by varieties resistant to certain diseases, like semi-leafless varieties, which may help control powdery mildew.
Fun fact: Black Eyed Peas are not peas but beans.
How, when and where to plant peas
I struggled with finding the right place on my property to plant peas. At times, my garden beds became saturated with spring rain, which rotted the peas before they germinated. Other times, high winds turned the pea trellis into a sail and yanked the plants out of the ground. Finally, I planted them on a trellis in my perennial garden on the east side of my house, where they get loads of morning and midday light and some shelter from late afternoon sun and high winds. Now, I get a decent crop each year. Gardening can be one giant experiment at times.
Peas are cool-weather vegetables, which means you plant them around the same time as Kale or Broccoli. They’re frost tolerant, so they can take cold temperatures but not freezing temperatures. Cover seedlings overnight with a milk jug to protect them from a late frost.
Pay attention to the soil
For peas, it really is all about the soil. Too wet, they won’t grow. Too dry, they won’t grow. So make sure that your soil, regardless of type, drains well. I ended up planting mine on a gentle slope to ensure that heavy rains run off and don’t drown the roots. A few weeks before planting, work about two inches of compost into the area where they’ll be planted. This not only feeds the peas but also helps with water retention if you have a dry spring.
When to plant peas
Plant peas 4-6 weeks BEFORE your last frost date, as soon as the soil can be worked. Seedlings typically emerge in 7-10 days. But – and this is a major point – peas will rot in saturated soil. So if you have particularly wet springs like I do (it’s been raining cats and dogs for 2 days straight as I write this in early April), consider starting your peas indoors and plant seedlings instead like I do. Then I follow that up with seeds every 2 weeks into May. But take care to protect your seedlings from rabbits – put a small fence around the seedlings.
Vining varieties should be planted straight along your trellis:
- Cut a small trench about one inch deep along the length of the trellis.
- Plant your peas about three inches apart.
- Fill loosely with the same soil you removed from the trench.
- As the seedlings emerge, they may need a little help attaching to or reaching the trellis – tie string to the bottom of the trellis so the vine’s tendrils can easily grab it and make their way up the trellis.
Bush types should be planted in rows 12-18 inches wide, allowing the plants to support each other. In either case, stagger your plantings a week apart so you have a constant supply of peas until the weather gets too hot for them. You can plant another crop late in summer for a fall harvest. Optimum growing temperatures are between 55 and 65 degrees Fahrenheit.
Pea growing tips
- Peas don’t require nitrogen fertilizers. They are a type of plant called a nitrogen fixer, which means they get all the nitrogen they need from the air in tandem with soil bacteria. When they die and decay, they add nitrogen back into the soil, so let them lay if they’re disease-free, or add them to your compost pile. Adding nitrogen fertilizer will cause too much leaf growth, delay flowering, and reduce the peas’ size. What they do need is phosphorous and potassium. Most soils in the U.S. contain sufficient quantities of both, so you probably won’t need to fertilize beyond adding some compost. If you want to confirm the nutrients in your soil, get a soil test.
- Peas need water, but not too much. If you have a wet spring, you probably won’t need to water at all. During dry periods, keep them well-watered but not muddy. Add one inch of water per week in the absence of rainfall.
- Peas benefit from mulching with straw or pesticide-free grass clippings to reduce weeds and keep water in the soil.
- Weeds are usually not a problem around peas, as the vines shade out most competing growth. But make sure you start with a weed-free surface and gently cultivate around the peas if necessary —their roots are very sensitive.
When to harvest peas
Most peas take 50-70 days to mature. It can be tricky to know when a pea is perfect for harvesting and much depends on your personal preference or the ultimate purpose – eating them fresh or storage. Once the pods start to mature (you can see the peas inside), check them every day and sample as you go. The peas or pods should be delicate and sweet to the taste, not chewy. But a word of warning – days matter. Two to three days in either direction and the pea is either immature or tough and chewy. As a rule of thumb, a mature pea is slightly larger than the pea you planted. For Snow Peas, wait until the pods are the proper length as described on the seed packet. The peas inside should be tiny and only slightly visible.
Harvest Snap Peas before the pods are fully mature, about 5-8 days after flowering. Look for full-size pods with small seeds and crisp flesh (they should “snap”). Snap peas can be harvested regularly for 3-4 weeks.
Harvest Garden Peas when the seeds are plump, roughly 18-21 days after flowering. Shell the peas and eat them immediately for the best flavor.
Harvest Dry Peas when the pods are fully mature and starting to dry. Pull the plants up and lay them in the garden for 5-7 days (weather permitting). Once the plants are fully dry, pick the pods, shell the seeds, and put them in a bowl or flat surface to dry further.
Peas hold their flavor for about a week in the refrigerator.
If the plant is free of insect and/or disease pests, the plant may be cut down at ground level. Leave the roots in the ground. Peas, like other legumes, fix nitrogen from the air and store it in their roots. Leaving the roots in the ground will keep that valuable fertilizer there, making it available for the next crop.
A Gardeners Guide To Peas, Penn State Extension
Pea pests and diseases
In my experience, the biggest problem for peas is Powdery Mildew, which quickly wipes out the crop. This is especially common when the spring is very wet, which encourages fungal growth. Powdery Mildew appears as white, powdery-looking growth on the plant and may appear very quickly. If it does, remove the entire plant from the garden and put it in the trash – do not compost. To prevent powdery mildew, grow resistant varieties or use a certified organic powdery mildew treatment BEFORE symptoms occur.
White mold is another common problem for peas. This appears as fluffy, white fungal growth that causes all of the leaves on the stem to die. As with powdery mildew, there is no cure for white mold, and the plant must be disposed of. To help avoid fungal growth of all types in peas, concentrate watering on the root zone of the plant and try to not get the leaves wet. Wet leaves encourage fungal growth.
Other molds and diseases of peas include Brown Spot, Fusarium Root Rot, and Gray Mold.
Insect pests
Aphids and cutworms are the most common insect pests of peas. Aphids are soft-bodied insects that make their presence well-known: you’ll see large masses of them on the plant, leaving behind their “honeydew,” which causes sticky leaves, leaf discoloration, and curling leaves. Aphids are green or yellow and can be knocked off the plant with a jet of water. They can also be controlled with insecticidal soap.
Cutworms do as their name suggests—they curl their bodies around the base of the stem and feed on it, cutting the stem off just above soil level. Cutworms are not worms; they are the caterpillar stage of multiple species of moths.
Leafminers create white splotches on the leaves, which die and drop from the vine. If you discover leafminers, pull out the entire plant, including the roots, and trash it.
Mexican Bean Beetles feed on the bottom of leaves, which causes the top of the leaf to dry out. Brush the beetles off with your hand and control them with an insecticidal soap.
Most insect pests of peas can be knocked back with diatomaceous earth, an organic insecticide.
We garden in Pennsylvania, United States, zone 6B. Much of the info we share is based on gardening in our temperate area. But many of the flowers, vegetables, and fruit we write about can be grown in soil other than ours (clay) and significantly different weather conditions and elevations. You might need to choose specific varieties for your region, modify your garden, add soil amendments, or adjust the soil pH to match our results. Please check your local university extension website for specifics for your area.
Sources: Growing Peas In Home Gardens, University Of Minnesota Extension; How To Grow Peas, Royal Horticultural Society, How To Grow Peas in Your Garden, Utah State University Yard and Garden Extension; A Gardeners Guide To Peas, Penn State Extension.