Garden Peas

The garden pea (Pisum sativum L.) is thought to have originated in Eastern Europe or Western Asia and was widely distributed in prehistoric times. It has been traced back to the stone age where dried seeds were found among relics of the Swiss Lake villages.

However, the eating of green peas was not referred to until the Norman conquest around 1066.

Green pea consumption was not common until the 18th century but with the appearance of canning and freezing, peas have become an important vegetable crop. To distinguish them from the field pea, used dried and split, or the southernpea, garden peas are often called green peas or English peas.

Peas are a cool weather, rapid maturing crop. They must be planted early for maximum yield and should be brought to maturity under cool conditions.

The garden pea thrives best when grown in the South and lower parts of California during fall, winter and early spring. Farther North, peas thrive when grown in spring or autumn. In the Northern States and at higher elevations, they may be grown from spring until autumn; however, if summer heat is too severe, the season may be limited to spring.

Sandy or rocky soils usually result in early crops, but plants on these soil types frequently suffer from water stress if there is no supplemental irrigation.

Select a seed bed site which is uniform, level and well drained. The seed bed should be worked at least to a depth of about 2 1/2 inches. A well prepared seed bed is essential for uniform germination and seedling stands. Peas will not thrive on poorly drained or water soaked land.

An adequate range in soil pH for peas is between 5.5 and 6.7. A soil with excessive organic residue or nitrogen is not ideal for pea growth because it promotes rank vine growth at the expense of pod production.

Peas are usually planted from 1 to 1 1/2 inches deep (heavy soils) to 2 inches deep (sandy soils) as soon as the soil can be properly worked. Peas are sown 8 or 10 to the foot.

The seed should be treated with a commercial seed protectant and planted in single or double rows. The double rows should be about 6 inches apart which allows dwarf or bush varieties to cling and hold one another up. When planted in single rows, the dwarf varieties should be sown in rows 3 feet apart and the taller varieties 4 feet apart.

If the plants are to be supported, wire netting or string trellis can be put between the rows. Tall varieties usually do better when grown on a trellis. However, left unsupported they will form a ground cover, smothering the weeds.

Staked or trellised plants will usually require some hand weeding. Always avoid deep hoeing that may injure the roots.

Peas have a number of disease and insect pests. Preventive measures are desirable for example, protective seed treatments, never plant peas in the same location in succession, and remove old vines from the garden.

If a disease or insect problem appears that you aren't familiar with, consult your county agent. And keep in mind the many excellent books and articles available from public libraries and garden stores, as well as the extension bulletins on vegetable gardening and pest control.

In general, harvest the pods when they appear well filled but before they begin to harden or fade in color.

Peas will yield the maximum food value when the seeds are full size. A few days before this stage, however, peas are at their prime for taste and tenderness.

The number of pickings will be at least two or three, since pea pods do not all mature at the same time but usually during a period of 7 to 10 days.

Pull the pods carefully off the vine, or plants may be uprooted. For best quality, pick peas just before meal preparation or processing because sugar conversion to starch will begin only a few hours after picking.

Edible podded peas (sugar peas, Chinese peas, snow peas) have pod walls that are tender, brittle, succulent, and free from fiber. After destringing, the young pods are cooked whole (like snap beans), or used as greens in salads. If pods develop too fast, eat the shelled peas.

Planting southernpeas.

Southernpeas

In the South the unqualified word "pea" usually refers to the southern-pea, also known as cowpea and protopea. There are several distinct types of southern pea of which blackeye, Crowder, and cream are the best known. Each of these types has its own unique appearance and flavor.

Southernpeas (Vigna unguiculato) are highly nutritious, tasty, and easily grown. They deserve to be much more widely grown by home gardeners.

Southernpeas are natives of Africa, brought to the West Indies by slave traders. From there they are believed to have been introduced to the United States in the 1700's. Southernpeas are consumed as fresh shelled peas, sometimes mixed with the immature pods, and as dry peas. Nutritionally, they are similar to lima beans.

The yard-long bean, or asparagus bean, a pole type of cowpea, produces pods 1 to 2 feet long. However, it is less productive than other varieties, and commonly used in Chinese cookery.

The southernpea is a warm weather crop and should be planted much later in the spring than snap beans. Adequate stands are difficult to achieve until the soil is quite warm. Although well suited to summer culture in the South, it also is adapted to northern conditions of about the same range as the lima bean.

Southernpeas are adapted to a wide range of climatic, soil and cultural conditions and are particularly drought and heat tolerant. Excess moisture causes reduction in yield.

As with beans, southernpeas may be classified as vining, semi-vining, or bush types. Also, there are short-, mid-, and long-season varieties. The bush or compact varieties that mature quickly are most suitable for home gardening, particularly outside the deep South. Southernpeas are usually planted in rows 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 feet apart with an inter-row spacing between seeds of 2 to 4 inches.

Heavy applications of nitrogen fertilizers should not be used for southernpeas. An application of a low nitrogen fertilizer such as 4-12-12 applied at the equivalent of 1 1/2 to 2 1/2 pounds per 50 feet of row usually is adequate.

Seed should be purchased from a seedsman as it is more apt to be free of disease and true to variety than if the gardener saves his own seed. If possible, the seed should be treated with a fungicide and insecticide.

In the South, successive plantings made about three weeks apart until mid-summer will give a continuous supply of green peas.

Various insects and diseases attack southernpeas. Some can destroy the crop while others do little damage.

The most destructive insect, especially in the South, is the cowpea curculio which feeds on the pods and seeds as they develop. Other insects also may be destructive to the plant and several species of weevils may seriously damage stored cowpea seed.

Application of insecticides is essential for successful culture of southernpeas in the South, especially during the fall. Several insects, such as the southern green stinkbug and cornworm, cause great damage during this time of year.

Specific information on insecticide application may be obtained from your county agent or State agricultural experiment station.

Diseases include wilt, root knot, and those caused by viruses. They may be best controlled by use of resistant varieties, planting disease free and treated seed, removing old vines, and not planting peas in the same location in successive years.

Southernpeas for home use as fresh-shelled peas are harvested when the deep green pod color changes depending upon specific variety to light yellow, silver, red or purple. The peas should be almost maximum in size but with appreciable green color still in the cotyledon.

A rule-of-thumb states that peas should be harvested 16 days after bloom, but this depends on the temperature. Depending on variety and environmental conditions, peas may be ready for picking from 55 to 80 days after planting.