Introduction: Hello gardeners, today we are here with a great information of how to grow green peas, how to care green peas plants in home garden. Green peas are a very popular vegetable. They are quite nutritious and contain a fair amount of fiber and antioxidants.
A step by step guide to How to grow green peas at home
Green peas are a great addition to your food menu because in addition to their concentration of vitamins and minerals. They provide the carotenoid phytonutrients, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which are known to promote vision and eye health.
Here we discuss growing green peas at home;
Preparing the site for growing green peas
To give your plants the best head start, turn over your green pea planting beds and add compost or manure to the soil in the fall. Carefully add wood ashes and bone meal to the soil before planting. Green peas need phosphorus and potassium, but excess nitrogen will encourage foliage growth instead of flowers or pods.
Select a spot that gets at least 6 to 8 hours of sunlight. Green peas prefer full sun. Observe your yard throughout the day, and note which areas obtain good sunlight. Since afternoon sunlight can be intense, go for a spot that gets lots of sunlight in the morning, but is partly shaded later in the day. Some green peas do well in partial shade or 4 to 6 hours of sun.
Soil preparation for growing green peas
Use a loamy and well-drained commercial potting mix or prepare your own but never substitute it with regular garden soil when growing green peas in containers. If you’re planting green peas in a very sunny location, increase the moisture-holding capacity of your soil or water more frequently. Peas are not fussy about soil pH level and do well in slightly acidic to neutral soils.
Choose the right variety of peas
Snap peas or dwarf peas will grow well indoors all year round and obtain seeds for your peas from a local garden center.
Sweet peas – Sweet peas have a sweet flavor and are what you purchase at the grocery store in a can and the pods are not edible, but the peas are delicious.
Snow peas – Snow peas are very good for cooking in Asian cuisine. The snow peas have both edible peas and pods. The pods are flat which makes them easy to identify.
Snap peas – Snap peas are another kind of pea that some people use as a snack and in a stir-fry. The snap peas have both edible peas and pods. The major difference is that the peas in snap peas are larger than those in snow peas.
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Requirements for growing green peas at home
Green peas are a cool-season crop that should mature before the weather gets hot. The ideal growing weather is moist with temperatures between 60 and 65°F. Plant peas as soon as the soil can be worked in spring about 6 weeks before the average date of the last frost. Green peas need good drainage in soil that is high in organic material. They generate earlier in sandy soil, but yield a heavier, later crop if grown in clayey soil. Plant green peas directly in the garden 2 inches deep and 1 to 2 inches apart. Don’t let the soil dry out; green peas need ample moisture. Give a three-foot-high trellis to support the vines.
Growing green peas indoors is possible, if you have a south or west-facing window that receives at least 5 to 6 hours of direct sunlight. A 6 inches deep window box is fine to grow dwarf varieties of peas. You can plant tall varieties if you’ve space. For support, poke short stakes close to the plants when they are 4-6 inches tall without damaging the fragile roots. Water carefully and moderately to avoid pests and diseases.
Select a container for growing green peas
Almost any container will work as long as you have drainage holes (or make 3 to 5 holes with a hammer and nail) and measures least 12 inches across. Fill the container with soil leaving a one-inch space at the top. Create support for the potted green pea with bamboo poles or stakes set into the center of the pot. Space the green pea seeds 2 inches apart and 1 inch beneath the soil. Water in thoroughly and top with a one-inch layer of mulch, like compost or wood chips. Keep the seeds in a lightly shaded area until the germination period 9-13 days at which time you should move them to full sun exposure.
Grow green peas in a container
First of all, choose the green pea variety you wish to plant. Almost everything in the Leguminosae family, from snap peas to shelling peas, can be container grown; however, you may wish to choose a dwarf or bush variety. Peas are a cool-season crop, so growing green peas in a container should begin in the spring when temperatures warm to over 60 F.
The size of the pot will depend on the types of green peas and their varieties you’re growing.
For tall and large bushier varieties, choose pots that are 8 to 12 inches deep and as wide as possible. Keep the spacing of 3 to 5 inches between each plant.
For dwarf and short varieties, obtain pots that are 6 inches deep. Please maintain the spacing of 2 to 3 inches between each plant.
Temperature requirement for growing green peas
Green peas grow well in moderately cool weather. The green peas don’t tolerate extremes of temperature. They produce best in springtime and early summer in the cool climate and late fall and winter in tropics. Green peas grow well in the temperature range between 60-75°F.
Trellis for your green pea plants
Growing green peas in a container garden does require that you have some sort of trellis. The green pea plants will be much healthier if they are allowed to grow vertically. Most pea plants will produce to a maximum height of about 3 feet. Check seed variety for the plant height.
You can need to cut the bottom of it if your container depth is shallow. You can make your own with some bamboo rods. You can use 3 or 4 and form a cone shape and tie them at the top.
Just make sure that the trellis that you use will support the weight of the green pea plants when they fully mature. Those that grow on your porch can use the railing if you want to manually assist the plant in finding it. Just be careful if you have to move the plant as it is a hollow stem and can break simply if tugged.
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Growing green peas from seeds
Growing green peas from seeds are easy, and it requires a few steps given below:
Sow seeds 1 or 2 inches apart in the seed mix or directly in the desired containers, an inch or two deep.
It’s false that peas seedling doesn’t transplant well, you can plant them when they are 4-5 inches tall.
You can scatter the seeds briskly over the growing medium and later cover them with the soil with no more than a 1-inch layer.
Water well to maintain the soil moist but not wet. Keep the germinating seeds in part sun to full sun.
Seeds will germinate in a window of 7 to 30 days; it mainly depends on the soil temperature. Temperature above 60°F (15°C) expedites the germination.
You can soak the seeds in water for 24 hours before sowing to speed up the germination process and pre-treat them with liquid seaweed for better growth.
Provide plenty of water to the green peas
Green peas prefer cool and moist soil but avoid the overwatering and constantly soggy situation. Otherwise, the plants will rot or generate a lower yield. Also, you can’t let the soil dry out completely, particularly when the plants are germinating or producing pods.
Container-grown green peas need a greater supply of water than their garden-grown counterparts. Make sure the topsoil is never dry, and the pea plants don’t show signs of wilting.
Fertilizing
Green peas don’t require heavy feeding as they produce nitrogen intermittently on the ground. However, in containers, fertilizing green peas moderately is necessary.
How to care for green peas
Water sparsely unless the green pea plants are wilting. Do not let the plants dry out, or no pods will be produced.
To avoid disturbing fragile roots, gently eliminate intrusive weeds by hand.
It’s best to rotate green pea crops every year or two to avoid a buildup of soil-borne diseases. In between green pea plantings, plant other vegetables to take advantage of the nitrogen-rich soil.
Peas are best grown in temperatures 60 to 75°F. Once temperatures get above 80°F, green peas tend to stop producing pods or the pods become tough.
Pests
The main pests which affect green peas are aphids and maggots. The maggots can be prevented with standard inspection and making sure to catch the infestation in the egg stage. You can obtain rid of those pesky aphids, with hard streams of water to the stems and leaves.
How to harvest green peas
Keep your green peas well picked to encourage more pods to develop.
The time from planting to harvest green peas is 55 to 80 days. Pick shelling peas when the pods are full and green color before the peas start to harden.
Pick green peas in the morning after the dew has dried and they are crispiest then.
Always use two hands when you pick green peas. Secure the vine with one hand and pull the peas off with another hand to avoid damaging the plant.
Green peas can be frozen or kept in the refrigerator for about 5 days and place in paper bags, then wrap in plastic.
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