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How to Grow Peas
Peas
Peas are well-suited
to cooler temperate climates. 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.
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QUICK GUIDE
Folklore
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Latin Name
Pisum sativum
Type
Half-hardy annual
Site and Soil
Sun or partial shade, protected from strong wind.
Well-dug water retaining soil, do not add additional nitrogen
Plant to Harvest Time
First Early varieties - 12 weeks
Second Early varieties 14 weeks
Maincrop varieties - 15 weeks
How Many?
3kg (6 lb to 7 lb) per 1 metre (3 foot) row.
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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! Let GardenAction show you how to grow peas in
the UK successfully.
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-June
to
mid-September. 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 |
March
to June |
June
to September |
12
weeks |
| Second
Early |
March
to June |
June
to October |
14
weeks |
| Maincrop |
March
to June |
July
to October |
15
weeks |
For
crops in May, sow First Early varieties outside in February under
cloches or supported plastic. It is best to have the cloches / plastic
over the soil in January to warm it up prior to sowing. Remove the
cloches / plastic when the danger of hard frost has passed - around April
time.
Click here
to buy a poly-tunnel or cloche online from our recommended suppliers.
Mangetout
(snap peas) should be treated in exactly the same way as
Maincrop peas.
CLICK
HERE FOR NEXT PAGE ON PEAS
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