Peas

How to grow peas

In the spring nothing tastes better than fresh green peas whether you eat them fresh from the pod or cook them.  Peas are an easy garden crop for Michigan gardeners and grow early enough that the garden spot they grew in can be used for another type of vegetable later in the season.   April is an excellent month to plant peas in Michigan but you can plant them until about May 15 and still get a crop.

There are two basic kinds of peas, those you shell to eat the peas and those that you eat the pod with the peas.  The edible pod peas are often called snow peas or oriental peas.  Shell peas are often called English peas.  Another type of pea is the sugar snap pea, in which you eat both the pod and slightly larger than snow pea size peas inside.

French heirloom pea flowers

Good shell pea varieties for planting in Michigan include: Wando, Lincoln, Thomas Laxton, Karina, and Legacy.  Edible pod varieties suggested are: Oregon Sugar, Mammoth Melting and Sugar Sprint.  You may want to purchase inoculated seed or buy a package of inoculant. Pea seeds can be inoculated with a naturally occurring soil bacteria that helps them convert nitrogen from the air and gets them off to a faster start in cold soil.  It is a natural product and won’t affect any organic growing plans that you have.

All types of peas are planted the same way, as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring.  Don’t worry about frost coming after you have planted them- peas are a cool season crop and will do just fine.  You can speed germination if you soak pea seeds in warm water for a couple of hours before planting.  Plant your peas about an inch deep and 3 inches apart.  Any type of soil will do, as long as it drains well.  A sandy loam area works better in the spring than heavy clay if you have a choice.

All peas need something to climb on, (there are so called bush peas but they flop over and also need support), so add some kind of trellis for peas when you plant them.  Traditionally small branches are stuck in the ground, called pea brush, for the vines to climb.  Branches at least as big as a pencil in diameter and 4 feet high are needed.  These are stuck into the ground around the peas so that they hold each other up.

If you want something a bit neater looking use a piece of wire fence attached to posts, with the peas planted in front of it.  You may have to wind a wayward vine into the fence at the beginning of growth but most pea vines will readily climb onto a fence.  If you have a fence around your garden, you can plant peas in front of it.

How many peas to plant will depend on whether you just want fresh eating peas or if you want to can or freeze peas.  For a family of 4 who just wants fresh peas a 6-8 foot row or 20 -30 plants is probably enough.  Double or triple that amount if you want peas for canning or freezing.

Peas have nodules on their roots that take nitrogen from the air.  Fertilization isn’t generally needed for peas.  They will appreciate regular watering if spring is dry.  If an inch of rain doesn’t fall during a week they will need you to water them.  After the peas are 3 inches high mulch them with straw, chopped leaves or compost to keep the soil cool and moist.

Peas will begin blooming 6-8 weeks after they come up, depending on the weather and variety.  When you see blooms start watching for pea pods as they form and grow quickly.  Pick edible pod peas when the seeds inside the pod are barely visible bumps and the pods are still flat.  You can shell the peas and eat them like regular peas if you let them get too large. 

Pick shell type and sugar snap peas young too, when the peas inside are still tiny and tender.  Split the pod with your fingernail and use your thumb to push the shell peas out into a bowl. 

Keep all kinds of peas picked and don’t let pods get large and start to dry out.  If too many pods start maturing the pea plant will stop producing peas.  If you keep the pods picked while they are young and the weather is cool and moist you will probably get a month of harvest time.

Peas have few insect pests or diseases.  They are favorites of rabbits and deer however and may need to be protected.

Pick peas just before you want to use them or freeze them.  After they are picked the sugar in them quickly starts to turn to starch and your peas will not be as tasty as truly fresh peas. If there are more than you can eat, freeze the excess.

Peas don’t like hot weather and will naturally die back when the weather starts getting above 80 degrees every day.   When that happens, pull the vines and put them on the compost pile and plant something in their place, like cucumbers if you leave the trellis up or even corn, which will appreciate the nitrogen the peas left in the soil.

If you didn’t get enough peas in the spring you can plant a fall crop of peas.  Plant this crop about the end of July.   They’ll start maturing as the weather gets cooler.  Make sure to keep them mulched and watered at this time of the year.