Peas and mangetout are becoming increasingly popular. We show you how to grow the delicious vegetables in your own garden.
Even if many only know the peas (Pisum sativum) from the frozen section of the local supermarket, the vegetable has a long tradition. Archaeological finds date back more than 10,000 years BC. back. Although it is quite difficult to distinguish collected wild peas from wild peas cultivated at the time, the rapid spread of the pea indicates targeted cultivation. Finds show that as early as 7,000 - 8,000 B.C. the pea was widespread in Anatolia, Bulgaria and Cyprus.
The cultivation takes place mainly in temperate climate zones. It is therefore not surprising that about a third of the world harvest comes from Canada. The Germany-based Association for the Preservation of Crop Diversity e.V. (VEN) chose the pea as Vegetable of the Year 2009.
Growing peas correctly
Peas like it sunny to semi-shady. The plant likes slightly loamy and calcareous soil that is still sufficiently humic.
Sowing should begin as early as mid-March to April. Attachment in sets is possible. The pea seed is sown directly in the field. The sowing depth is chosen at about 5cm. The distance between plants should be 5-10cm and 35cm between rows. After one to two weeks at 10-18°C the plants will start to germinate. As soon as the peas get a little bigger, the vigorous varieties need a climbing aid. Here you can make a frame out of bamboo sticks or grab a cheap chain link fence from the hardware store. If the plants have already gained a few centimeters in height, earth should be piled up around the plant.
You can find detailed step-by-step instructions for cultivation here: Growing peas: sowing, care and harvest time.
On normal garden soil, peas do not need additional fertilization to grow normally. But especially if the harvest residues such as leaves and sprouts are not worked into the soil after harvesting, but have to be removedthe essential nutrients are replaced in order not to leach out the soil in the long term. Our Plantura organic universal fertilizer is ideal for this. When cultivating in pots, the use of fertilizer is absolutely necessary, because purely organic plant substrates contain only the smallest reserves of phosphate and potassium.
Worth knowing: Peas are legumes that bring nitrogen into the soil through a symbiosis with bacteria. If peas are used as a pre-culture, the following vegetables have a rich supply of nitrogen. This encourages rapid growth. However, peas are not compatible with onion and nightshade plants. Attention should be paid to this when post-culture.
Peas don't get along very well with themselves either. Therefore, peas should only be grown again at the same location after six years at the earliest.
Pea Varieties
There are four types of peas: Field peas, split peas, shell peas and sugar peas. While the field pea is only grown for animal feed production, the other types are delicate and edible. The well-known chickpea is deliberately listed here because although it is related, it belongs to a different genus (Cicer).
Only modern pea varieties are usually found on the market. Initiatives such as VEN (Association for the Preservation of Crop Diversity e.V.) or the seed archive of Gerhard Bohl or the Arche Noah association still take care of the cultivation of the variety. You can still find them at these addresses: the good, old varieties that also grew in grandma's garden.
If you need help choosing a variety, take a look here: Pea varieties: choose the right variety.
Field Peas
Also known as field peas, it is used for animal feed due to its high protein content (20-25% of dry matter). For this purpose, the peas are crushed and mainly fed to dairy and poultry cattle. However, we would like to present two varieties:
(synonyms: field pea)
- Alvesta: modern variety with very good grain yield and high protein content.
- Respect: good variety in terms of growth, yield and protein content; Distribution by BayWa.
Brand Peas
When ripe, this type of pea has a slightly shriveled grain. This species is mostly processed into canned and frozen food or sometimes eaten fresh. Wrinkled peas are particularly popular because they are considered very tasty due to their high sugar content.
- Excellence: modern variety withgood fruit quality and very high yield.
- Grandera: Grandera pea variety grows quite robustly and rarely suffers from diseases; high-yielding and particularly tasty.
- Markana: robust variety with a compact and stable growth; requires no climbing aid; taste good.
- Sublima: medium late wrinkled pea with high sugar content; aromatic and productive; good resistance to stinging fungi, powdery mildew and fusarium.
- Kelvedon Miracle: medium early variety with high yield; The wonder of Kelvedon has now firmly established itself in the landscape of wrinkled peas.
Peas grandera / wrinkled peas€3.79Details →
Peas - Markpeas - Markana from Dürr-Samen€4.82Details →
Peas Sublima / Wrinkled PeasDetails →
Green Peas
This type is mostly dried and later cooked. If the split peas are harvested early, the grains can also be processed in a similar way to wrinkled peas. However, the taste is slightly floury.
(synonyms: pahl pea, shell pea)
- Earliest of May: very, very early maturing shell pea with good taste and decent yield.
- Blauschwokker: well-tried and traditional variety from the Netherlands; visually very striking variety with violet pods; robust, he althy growth; good yield and taste.
- Feltham First: very, very early variety with deep green pods and a compact habit; can also be cultivated without a climbing aid; good taste; Feltham First is a further development of the traditional variety "Kleine Rheinländerin".
- Early Harzerin: very early and proven variety with robust growth.
- Kleine Rheinländerin: proven and robust variety with medium early maturity; dark green pods with rather large kernels.
Sweet Peas
This type of pea lacks the parchment layer in the pod, which means that the peas, known as snow peas, remain particularly tender and tasty. While a few decades ago the plum peas were at the top of the list of popularity, now it's the sugar snap peas.
- Ambrosia: proven variety from Germany with quite fleshy pods; very good taste and high yield.
- Delikata: variety with two uses: if the pods are harvested while they are still young, they can be eaten as usual, including the peel; the harvest takes placea little later the pods are split open and the grains removed, as is the case with wrinkled peas; Resistance to powdery mildew and Fusarium.
- Mid-high Normand: one of the early ripening varieties with light green pods and green-yellow seeds.
- Norli: one of the more modern varieties with a very compact habit; ideal for the balcony or terrace; quite productive despite the compact growth; aromatic sugar snap peas.
- Vroege Hendriks: one of the early varieties that has proven itself for cultivation in Germany.
Pea Harvesting and Storage
Generally speaking: the time of harvest depends on the time of sowing. Plants from seeds from March and early April can already be harvested in June. You harvest and eat the entire pod of sugar snap peas, including the still weakly developed peas. In general, these plants must be regularly searched and harvested. Because only young mangetout and wrinkled peas taste good.
It is best to freeze sugar snap peas and wrinkled snap peas so you can enjoy them longer. The peas lose little of their aroma and texture. In contrast, shell peas should be dried.
After the last fruits have been harvested, it is advisable to cut the plants down to ground level. The roots remain in the soil and thus supply subsequent cultures with nitrogen. If you have a knife shredder with a sufficiently large slot, the greenery can be shredded and later used as mulch and natural fertilizer.
Ingredients and uses in the kitchen
Fresh peas contain up to 8% protein, around 0.5% fat and 10-14% carbohydrates. In addition, peas contain many amino acids, vitamins (B1 & B2) and minerals such as potassium, phosphorus and magnesium. Peas are generally considered he althy and well tolerated.
Sugar peas can be sautéed briefly in a wok or added to Asian soups just before serving. The tender mangetout is also suitable as a side dish tossed in butter. In contrast to sugar peas, only the kernels can be eaten with wrinkled peas. The pod is too tough and fibrous. Wrinkled peas are harvested quite young and either fresh or processed into the classic frozen pea. If you wait too long before harvesting, the kernels are already quite hard and do not change this state even when cooking. The very similar looking pale peas mainly containStarch, which is why they are particularly suitable for cooking. A quick sear is not enough here.
Pests and Diseases
Powdery mildew causes problems for peas from time to time. This occurs when there is a drought and low humidity. Regular watering of the plant can prevent this fungal disease. Fusarium, also a fungal disease, attacks the leaves. These turn yellowish to brownish and begin to wilt (hence: Fusarium wilt). After some time, the color changes to blackish. There are now modern, resistant varieties against both powdery mildew and Fusarium, which make life easier for the hobby gardener. If plants in your own garden are infested, you should dispose of the infected material in the waste bin. This is particularly important for the Fusarium fungus, which can survive in the soil for long periods.
If you find eggs on the underside of the leaves of the pea plants, they are probably the so-called pea moth. If you have regular problems with this pest, the location of the plants should be changed as far away as possible and a protective net should be stretched over the plants during the main infestation period between May and June.