We’ve had enough of frozen peas! Time to learn how to grow peas in our garden so we can taste our own fresh and delicious peas!!!!
Pea seeds
To start growing peas, you will need to purchase pea seeds. You will find them in agricultural stores, or from friends and acquaintances. The seeds are likely to have a coating of a chemical (fungicide) that prevents fungal attack. The fungicide is tinted green, pink, blue or red so that no one will make the mistake of eating the seeds. Before using the seeds you should rinse them to remove the fungicide. As a precaution, wear gloves while handling these seeds so that the fungicide does not come in contact with your skin.
Preparing pea seeds for sowing
To prepare pea seeds for planting you can follow one of the following methods.
Method A
- Place the seeds inside a towel or paper towel and cover them with it (envelope).
- Wet the towel
- Keep the towel wet for a few days
- After 3 days start checking the seeds by opening the towel
- You will see that some of them have started to sprout
- Select the seeds with sprouts so that you can plant them
Method B
- Place the seeds on a plate
- Pour lukewarm water
- Leave the seeds in the water for half an hour
- Drain the water
- Plant the seeds
Method C
- Place the seeds on a plate
- Pour lukewarm water
- Leave the seeds in the water for half an hour
- Empty the water
- Pour a teaspoonful of rhizobium inoculant into the seeds. For the role of rhizobium inoculant, see the paragraph on fertilizing peas at the end of this article.
- Stir to ensure that the nitrogenous bacteria get to all the seeds
- Plant the seeds
When to sow peas
Peas love cold weather. You can plant them in two periods. In autumn and at the end of winter.
The seasons for sowing peas are:
- Autumn: October, November
- Late Winter-Spring: February, March, April
To have a continuous production, do not sow all seeds on the same day. Sow them 15 days apart. The same applies to seed preparation as described earlier.
Depth and method of sowing the pea seeds
Pea seeds should be planted at a depth of 1.5 to 2 cm. To open the hole in which to place the pea seeds, insert your finger (index finger) into the soil up to the first joint. Drop 3 pea seeds into the hole. Cover the hole with soil so that it comes into contact with the seeds. Water immediately. Uniform contact between the soil and the seeds is a prerequisite for the seeds to grow and germinate.
When the seeds germinate and the plants emerge, you should keep only one in each location. You should keep only the strongest and healthiest one. If you don’t, then the plants will compete with each other and none will yield.
As most varieties of peas give climbing plants, you should make provisions for providing media on which the plant will climb.
The traditional way is by using 3 reeds or sticks, in an Indian tent arrangement.
Because you need the plants early on to be able to find the support on which to grow, it makes sense to plant the seeds close to the supports (figure).
When the plants have reached a height of 3 to 5 cm, you should start tying them onto the support poles.
Pea sowing distances
Each plant should be spaced 15 to 30 cm apart from the other. The farther apart, the stronger the plants will become. If you sow the peas in rows, each row should be 60 to 90 cm apart.
What soil does the pea need?
Peas need soil rich in organic matter and well-drained.
Two weeks before planting the seeds, the soil should be well dug and enriched with organic matter. Water the soil well and continue to water it. During these two weeks, any weed seeds that are present in the soil will grow. At the end of the two weeks, hoe again and cover with soil the weeds that have grown. This way, you will have a relatively clean soil. You will not completely avoid weeds, but you will have far fewer.
Where should I plant the peas?
Peas love places that get sunlight, but they are tolerant of places with partial sunshine. Choose to plant peas in a part of the garden where the sun can see them or in a place that has shade at certain times of the day.
Do not choose locations that are caught in strong winds. The plants will suffer and will not perform well.
Urban peas – Peas in pots on the balcony?
You can plant peas in pots. In pots with a diameter of 25 cm, you can plant one pea plant each. Be sure to place the appropriate supports on which the plant can climb. The supports can be simple reeds or anything else you have on hand.
Fertilizing pea plants
Peas can be grown in the majority of soils. It needs soil with enough nutrients. But it does NOT need a fertilizer rich in nitrogen. Pea plants have the ability to draw the nitrogen they need from the air.
Legumes (such as peas) have the unique ability to form a symbiotic relationship with rhizobial-nitrogen-bacteria-nitrogen fixing bacteria (Rhizobium and Bradyrhizobium) to fix free nitrogen in the air and convert it to nitrate ions. The nitrogenous bacteria form in the roots of the plant small volumes called phyllodes.
A soil too rich in nutrients will result in plants with lush foliage but low production.
Sources
How to Grow Beans and Peas – wikiHow
How to Grow Peas
Legume Seed Inoculants
Nitrogen
Tags: CULTIVATE • CULTIVATION • NITROGEN BACTERIA • PEAS • RHIZOBIUM • SOW • SOWING
