Peas are a fun addition to the home garden because they taste amazingly fresh and sweet right off the bush or vine. Some of the more common types of peas planted in home gardens are: snap peas, sweet peas, snow peas, and shelling peas. Peas are a great source of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. I love to add peas to casseroles, salads, soups, or just as a nice vegetable side, melted with butter.
Plant seeds outdoors, a month to a month and a half, before your last spring frost, and again in late summer or early fall. Peas prefer a full sun location, but can grow less productively in a partial shade area. Peas need a well-draining, loamy soil, that is not too wet. Add compost or manure for fertility. Add wood ash or bone meal before planting, to increase phosphorous and potassium levels in the soil. Soak peas overnight in water to improve germination rates. Plant seeds about an inch deep and 2 – 5 in. apart. Provide a trellis or poles in your plants will vine; they can grow very tall depending on the variety. Only water if the plant looks wilted, with weather is dry, and rain is lacking. Never let the plants dry out completely or no pods will form. Keep the garden. debris and weed free. to prevent pests. Practice crop rotation.
After about 60 – 70 days, start checking for mature pea pods. They mature fast so check regularly. The more you pick the pods, the more will develop. So pick often! Peas are the crispest in the morning and are best picked at that time. Always pick with two hands or use scissors to avoid pulling damage to the plants. Once pods turn hard and dull in color they are over mature, but can still be used in soups.
Store your pea’s fresh in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Common Diseases
Downy Mildew is caused from wet humid conditions. Overhead watering is also a cause. To prevent, water at the base of the plants, provide good air circulation, and keep leaves as dry as possible. A 1 part milk to 10 part water mixture sprayed on the plants can help if it’s already started. Fungicides can help prevent it.
Fusarium Wilt is a fungus that turns leaves yellow, causes wilting, and plant death. Cross sections of stems will show brown discoloration. To prevent, destroy infect plants, practice crop rotation, choose disease resistant varieties, avoid too much nitrogen, and raise the soil pH to 7.0.
Powdery Mildew causes a white, powdery growth to form on the plant leaves and can lead to discoloration and lower harvest yields. It is managed best with fungicide, applied regularly.
Common Pests
Aphid nymphs and adults like to suck on plant juices, attack plant leaves, stems, buds, flowers, fruits, and the roots of many vegetable plants. To find them look for misshaped, curling, or yellowing leaves. Look for tiny eggs on the undersides of leaves. They can be one of many colors, such as, white, tan, red, yellow, brown, or black. They are tiny and usually cover large portions of the leaves and stems. To prevent them, you can plant companion plants, such as, herbs that may deter or distract them. You can try and knock them off by spraying the plants thoroughly with water. Neem oil, insect soaps, cayenne pepper spray, a dusting of flour, and Diatomaceous Earth are all effective against aphids.
Mexican Bean Beetles look similar to lady bugs only slightly more orange. Adults overwinter in plant debris and under leaves. They lay yellow eggs on the undersides of leaves in clusters of 30 -40. Adults turn from bright yellow to orange yellow as they age and have black spots on their back. Youth and adults feed on leaves mostly but have been known to eat small tender pods. In large infestations they can severely damage a plant. To prevent them, remove by handpicking adults, larva, and any eggs seen in spring. Plant companion plants, such as, rosemary or marigolds, too deter them and choose bushier type plant varieties.
Root-knot nematodes makes roots appear knotted up and causes the plant to look weak and unhealthy. Destroy plants that are infected, and solarize the soil by placing it in the sun for a few days. Add fresh compost and crop rotate to prevent.
Wireworms turn into click beetles. They are click beetle larvae, small tannish colored worms, and are found in the soil. They like to feed on roots and plant stems. The best solution to wire worms is to create a trap with a fully grown carrot or potato that is placed in the soil a few feet away from your garden area. Every few days pull it up and remove any worms. Repeat as necessary and replace the potato or carrot if it starts to rot.
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