Pisum sativum
I love peas! One of my earliest memories is of eating shelling peas in my mom’s garden. I was probably three and I clearly remember throwing the empty pods to the neighbor’s dogs. The dogs had no interest in eating the pods but I thought that I was very cleverly recycling.On Tuesday, I discovered that the peas were almost ready. Since then, I’ve visited them every single day. Just to see how they are doing and to sample them and make sure they are still sweet.
These snap peas are almost ready to harvest. By Monday they should be ready to go out to our local restaurants. Yum!
We don’t grow many peas but the ones we do have are delicious. I’m so glad spring is finally here.
Here are a few facts about peas:
There are three major varieties of fresh peas: Shelling (english) Peas, Snow Peas, and Sugar Snap Peas.
Shelling Peas, also called English Peas, are grown for the sweet peas inside the fibrous pod. Shelling peas have to be picked before the pods mature so that the peas are sweet and not starchy. Shelling peas are also called “garden peas” and are grown throughout the world. Only 5% of peas grown are eaten fresh. Most of the peas grown throughout the world are either canned or frozen.
Snow Peas are very flat and have tiny seeds. They are eaten fresh and are most common in asian cuisine. For best flavor, they should be picked when very young before their seeds start to develop.
Sugar Snap Peas are a cross between Shelling Peas and Snow peas developed in the 1970′s. They resemble the Shelling Pea but have a sweet edible pod. For sweetest flavor, snap peas should be picked when young and tender.
Peas are not vegetables but are actually legumes.Peas were one of the first cultivated crops. It is thought that peas were commonly grown in India, China, and Europe by 2000BC.
Growing Peas:
It’s not too late to plant some peas for yourself if you have some garden space and you buy some pea starts. Generally in the Sacramento valley we can start to plant peas in January. If you start them too late then the heat will kill the plants and burn the pods. Mother Earth News has a great article on everything you need to know about growing peas.
The first vegetable to be grown on my farm was the dwarf garden pea. This hardy and versatile vegetable is a must for all gardens having so many important uses apart from its food value.
Broad Beans, Dried Peas Are Important Food Source
The grey green foliage is relatively drought, wind and frost tolerant. Being a legume the plant is also capable of incorporating nitrogen into the soil and the foliage makes an outstanding mulch, releasing nitrogen as it decomposes.The pea has been cultivated in Europe since ancient times and is now grown throughout the world especially in temperate climate zones. Together with broad beans, chick peas and lentils it was once the main food source for most of the working population in Europe. The highly nutritious seeds were eaten fresh or dried and stored for later use. Presently peas are available fresh, canned, dried or frozen.
Dwarf Peas, Semi-Dwarf Peas And Sugar Peas
Many pea cultivars have been developed including dwarf, semi-dwarf and tall or climbing forms. These cultivars are grown for shelling or for their edible pods in which case they are also known as sugar or snow peas.Peas do best in a temperate climate during the cool moist late winter and spring periods, the best temperatures for optimum growth being between 20-25 degrees Celsius. Frosts during flowering will damage flowers and subsequent pods while temperatures above 30 degrees will reduce the quantity and quality of pods.
Soil Drainage And Limy Soil
Peas will grow well in a wide range of soils, provided drainage is good. They prefer slightly acidic soils, but are tolerant of limy or alkaline soils. A row spacing of at least 60cm is necessary to allow for weed cultivation as peas do not compete well with weeds. Peas are also sensitive to most herbicides and hand weeding should be carried out in small plots or in the home garden. Fertilisers containing a complete range of nutrients can be used, but a high level of nitrogen should be avoided. Having the ability to fix nitrogen via the action of soil bacteria in their roots, peas will also supply nitrogen to the next crop as the nitrogen will be released as the pea roots decompose.Inoculated Pea Seed And Rhizobia Bacteria Coating
If peas have not been grown in the plot in the past inoculated seed should be used. Inoculated seed contains a coating of Rhizobia bacteria that act within the pea root cells and will reside in the soil for future crops. These beneficial bacteria can extract nitrogen from the air around the roots and convert the nitrogen into useful compounds for use by the pea plant. In return the pea plant supplies the bacteria with essential nutrients.When purchasing seed, ensure the seeds have been treated with a fungicide that is not copper based. A copper based fungicide will kill the Rhizobia bacteria and should not be used.
Flavour Is Lost With Over-Ripe Pods
Pea pods need to be harvested as soon as the pods are full and firm. The seed will quickly lose its flavour if left too long on the vine, that sweet flavour typical of freshly harvested pods is quickly lost in over-ripe pods.Growing peas has been successful on the farm under difficult conditions. The plants were battered by strong winds and suffered from a lack of rain, but as expected they managed to provide a substantial crop as well as a useful supply of mulch for the fruit trees.
Peas were one of my favourite crops long ago as a youth and now they have become one of my most important farm crops.
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