How to Grow Vegetable Peas for the Backyard Garden
Interested in growing peas this growing season? Do you have the urge and want to get your garden growing as soon as possible this year? Are you sick of the cold weather and your ready for spring to start? I know I am…
Well vegetable peas are very hardy, so lucky for you, smooth peas can be planted as soon as the ground for your backyard garden can be worked.
Often times these peas can be planted by the last of March, even in the Northern States. In the Middle States and in the South smooth peas can be sown in the fall to give an extra early crop.
An example of an early pea or smooth pea and also described as Dwarf Peas is Little Marvel which matures in 60 days after planted. These pods are not large but are packed tightly with very flavorful peas.
Many people have a fondness for certain a type or variety of peas, so they plant their favorite variety in succession every ten days up to the middle of June. This type of practice is more time consuming and tiring. A better practice would be to plant early(dwarf), medium early(half dwarf), late(tall) peas at the same time.
Wrinkle peas, which have a better flavor then smooth peas would be your medium early and your late peas, since even these peas can actually be planted in the ground some time before the danger of frost is over, it makes more sense to plant them around the same time as the early peas.
An example of a medium early peas would be Thomas Laxton which requires 72 days to mature from planting. An example of late peas would be Alderman which matures in 80 days or Telephone which matures in 87 days from planting.
Your early peas, like Early Marvel grow to about one and a half feet high and require no support. Your medium early and late do require some type of support, especially Thomas Laxton, which grows about three feet high and Alderman and Telephone which grow about five feet high.
How to Plant peas:
Peas should be planted in soil that has been well broken up or cultivated. Peas should be planted in trenches about ten inches wide and from two to three inches deep scattering the peas over the bottom of this trench.
By doing this you provide the proper environment for the pea vines to become self supporting to a certain extent and most likely won’t dry out quickly.
Some growers like to make double rows about six inches apart. After your peas have been planted you should take care to firm the soil over the seeds by using your feet or the flat end of your hoe.
If the soil you are planting your pea seeds into is dry do to poor rain or because your are planting your peas late in the season, then it is a good practice to soak your seeds in luke warm water over night or wet down the ground in the trench before you plant the seeds.
Quick germination of your peas is essential in order to get an early crop, and if it is early spring when you are planting your peas, then you are likely to have moist soil. So firming the surface of the soil over the peas should bring the soil particles into close contact with the seeds and you should have no problems with the peas germinating.
Peas are a cool weather vegetable and as long as the soil you plant these seeds in is reasonably rich your seeds should germinate fine and by providing plenty of water for your pea vines, they should grow fine and peas require plenty of water.
Supporting your Peas:
Stakes at the beginning and end of the row with strings attached to them and at ten foot intervals will provide plenty of support for your pea vines. You may also run chicken wire between stakes attached with twine.
Picking your Peas:
When picking your peas, make sure you use two hands. Grab the vine with one hand while the pods are removed with the other, otherwise if you jerk the pea pods off the vine you will end up damaging the plant.
Try to pick your peas when they are young, if you wait till they get old, then your peas will be tough and flavorless. Try to serve your peas a soon as possible after being removed from the garden, otherwise you will not be able to appreciate the freshness of your peas from the backyard garden.
This type of freshness you won’t find in the market so take advantage of fresh peas from your backyard vegetable garden.
This article on How to Grow Vegetable Peas for the Backyard Garden is brought to you by www.backyard-gardening.com
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