How to grow delicious sugar peas

How to grow delicious sugar peas

The Garden Pea,which provides pods of edible seeds for use in the early summer months,is one of the most delicious of edible crops.

There are numerous varieties for cultivation,with descendants from the botanical plant called(Pisum savitum).It belongs to the legume family,and is a native to Western Asia and parts of Europe.

Because the pea is intolerant of heat,it can only be grown in the spring months,when the nights are cool

The earlier you sow the seed when frost is gone the better.In parts of the south,Peas sown in fall give good results because the months that follow are cool enough to be favorable to their growth.

Peas should be grown in deep and rich soil that does not dry out in warm weather.Peas do not fair well in poor or sandy light soils.

The best way to plant peas is to dig a trench two feet deep in the autumn and add manure and or rich compost to the lower soil and leave the soil at the sides exposed to the weather during the winter months.

In early spring the soil will become crumbly,making it easy to be broken into fine pieces with your garden fork.The soil should be filled into the trench made firm while it is fairly dry.

At this time you need to place lime on top and rake in lightly.

The reason for all this preparation is,Peas are a deep rooting crop and grow best in deeply prepared soils.

Good crops can be grown in rich soil by plowing down to a foot and fertilizing as you go.

If using store bought fertilizer the ratio is 5-10-5.

Sowing Seeds

As the seeds germinate freely,it is wasteful to scatter seeds thickly.A good plan is to make a six inch wide shallow furrow,3 inches deep and scatter the seeds every two inches from each other.

Now cover with an inch of soil.

The distance between the rows should be around four feet apart.

Now you can grow another crop in between the rows such as lettuce or spinach.

Staking Peas

It is important to stake the plants when they are 2 or 3 in.high with a twig or some other means.

If you don't do this the plants will fall over and will not grow well.After the Peas reach a height of 6 inches you should provide a trellis made from chicken wire or hemp of some type so they will grow up to four or more feet tall.

Now what you do is keep the weeds pulled and wait for the Peas to get big enough to pick.

Peas should be picked while young and tender,but wait until the seeds in the pods are fully developed.

There are two main types of Peas,and they are the wrinkled seeded and the smooth seeded.

The smooth seeded are considered the best due to their cold tolerance and can be sowed a week or two before the wrinkled variety..

The best Pea to grow is the Sugar Pea and you can eat the seed or the pods.

Good luck on your gardening adventures..