Soaking and Planting the Peas

April 26, 2017

Everybody is thinking about the gardens. Here at my Bedford, New York farm, we have been very productive- we potted-up hundreds of new bare root tree cuttings, prepped and planted the flower garden, and sowed one of our first crops in the vegetable garden - peas!

Peas thrive in cool weather, and young plants can even tolerate light frosts. It’s important to plant peas as soon as possible in spring in order to get a full harvest before hot summer temperatures arrive.My head gardener, Ryan McCallister, planted several varieties of shelling peas and edible pods along our pea trellis in the vegetable garden - but first, he soaked them in water to expedite the germination process.

Here are somephotos - enjoy.

: There are many different varieties of peas, but all fall under one of two categories: shelling peas or edible pods. Shelling peas are those that need to be removed from their pods before eating. Edible pods are those that can be eaten whole, like snap peas and snow peas.

: Many of our pea seeds are from Johnny’s Selected Seeds. ‘Penelope’ has extra long fancy pods, with eight to nine peas per pod. They are very easy to shell and have very good eating quality. http://www.johnnyseeds.com/

: ‘Maxigolt’ is an outstanding late variety with large, very sweet, dark green peas and attractive, broad, three-and-a-half inch pods. http://www.johnnyseeds.com/

: ‘Premium’ is a very flavorful early pea variety, with a three-inch pod that carries an average of seven or eight very sweet, medium-sized peas.

: ‘Sienna’ peas are very flavorful for a mid-season variety. The pods are about three-and-a-half inches long and provide about seven to eight peas per pod.

: ‘Royal Snow’ peas have large pods, and a mild bitter flavor. They’re a great addition to salads and slaws. Their color stays purple, but turns muddy when overcooked.

: ‘Avalanche’ peas are tender, sweet, six-inch edible pods that add rich flavor and depth to salads and stir fries.

: ‘Oregon Giant’ has sweet peas inside large sweet flat pods.

: ‘Green Arrow’ peas from Southern Exposure Seed Exchange are ultra sweet. The plant is very strong and tolerates certain diseases, such as powdery mildew. http://www.southernexposure.com

: ‘Amish’ snap peas from the Seed Savers Exchange are delicate and sweet. They were grown in the Amish community long before present snap pea varieties were developed. They have curved sickle-shaped pods. http://www.seedsavers.org

: ‘Sugar Ann Og’ is an early, edible pod pea that’s ideal for small gardens. Its short, bushy vines do not need support, and it produces about 10-days earlier than other snap peas.

: This all-American favorite from NE Seed is the original snap pea. Six foot vines produce three-inch round, fleshy pods that are edible from the flat stage to maturity, with great flavor. http://www.neseed.com/

: ‘Sugar Sprint’ is a variety that is almost stringless. These peas are one of the earliest maturing types of peas that is also ideal for eating fresh or frozen.

: The ‘Super Sugar Snap’ is delicious raw, steamed or stir-fried. The plant produces thick, full sized ever-so-sweet snaps.

: Snow, snap, and shelling peas are all members of the legume family. Snow peas are also known as Chinese pea pods. They are flat with very small peas inside, and the whole pod is edible. Snap peas are a cross between snow peas and shelling peas – the whole pod is eaten and has a crunchy texture and very sweet flavor.

: Shelling peas are also sometimes called garden peas, sweet peas or English peas. The pods are firm and rounded, and the round peas inside need to be removed, or shelled, before eating. The peas are sweet and may be eaten raw or cooked.

: Some pea (Pisum sativum) seeds will look wrinkled. Most of them have hard coats, and all benefit from soaking before planting. Soak them overnight in warm water. This will expedite the germination process. Each pea variety is in its own plastic container filled half full with water, so the peas are well covered.

: Only soak seeds for about eight to 12-hours and no more than 24-hours. Over-soaking them could cause them to decompose. When removing the peas, discard any that have floated to the top of the water – these are not viable and shouldn’t be planted.

: Using a strainer, thoroughly drain them and also remove any broken seeds or seed fragments.

: The pea is among the oldest cultivated vegetables in the world. Peas were found in excavations in Switzerland dating back to the Bronze Age. Peas were also very popular foods with the ancient Greeks and Romans.

: Peas are known to help fix the nitrogen content in the soil, but need an inoculant added to their soil to do this. Rhizobium leguminosarum is a nitrogen fixing bacteria that is often added to soils where peas and lima beans are planted.

: Garden inoculants are available at most garden supply stores.

: Simply sprinkle a little inoculant powder onto the drained peas.

: It is not possible to over inoculate, so don’t worry about how much is added to the peas.

: Once the inoculant has been added, toss the peas to make sure they are all well coated. The inoculant will boost the pea plants.

: Here, Ryan fills out the appropriate markers for the peas for easy identification during the season.

: This is our long pea trellis down in the vegetable garden. Peas are one of first crops we plant outdoors at the beginning of the season.

: When ready to plant, first dig a furrow in the soil using a hoe.

: Peas do much better when given some kind of support such as a fence or a trellis. Since the furrow is up against the trellis, the pea vines should find the supportive netting very easily.

: Drop the seeds into the furrow about one and a half to two-inches apart.

: Sow seeds four to six weeks before the last spring frost, when soil temperatures reach 45-degrees Fahrenheit.

: Once all the seeds are in the ground, cover them with an inch-and-a-half of soil. Ryan uses the back of a rake to also tamp the seeds gently, so there is good contact between the soil and the seeds.

: Ryan gives the newly planted peas a good drink. Water deeply once a week, and never allow the soil to dry out. This stresses the plants and drastically reduces pea production.

: Large markers clearly show which pea varieties are shelling, snap and snow, so they are easily identifiable when it’s time to harvest. The peas should be ready to pick around mid-June to early July.