Market peas: A classic in the German vegetable landscape. We show the most proven varieties and give tips for successful cultivation in your own garden.
The wrinkled pea (Pisum sativum convar. medullare) is a variety of the pea. Most people know the wrinkled pea as a classic frozen pea. When ripe, the grains are slightly wrinkled and quite sweet. The sugar content of modern varieties is just under 10%. And this is exactly what makes the wrinkled pea so popular. A fresh taste with a high sugar content that enhances the aromas.
Growing peas
The cultivation of wrinkled peas corresponds to that of peas. In the spring between the end of March and the beginning of April, the seeds are planted at a depth of about 5 cm. After a week or two, the first little plants will germinate. If the plants get bigger, the taller varieties need a climbing aid. Either you use the standard scaffolding from the hardware store or you make your own. Bamboo or hazelnut shoots are particularly suitable here.
For a detailed step-by-step guide to growing peas, check out this article.
Care for wrinkled peas
Peas fix nitrogen in the root area. They belong to the so-called legumes. If you ensure that there is a sufficient supply of nutrients before sowing (addition of compost or use of nutrient-rich organic universal soil), additional fertilization is not necessary. This can even promote diseases. Regular watering is much more important than fertilizer. Because peas love a good supply of water. If the soil and the air are quite dry, powdery mildew will quickly appear on non-resistant varieties.
Harvest peas
If you sow early, you can already bring in the first harvest in June. Because of the early harvest time, peas are particularly suitable as a pre-culture. In addition, the plants introduce nitrogen into the soil, which is why the roots should be left in the soil after harvest.
In contrast to shell peas, wrinkled peas should not be cooked for too longwait for the harvest. Because if the grains are overripe, you can dry them well and preserve them, but the grains of the market pea do not become soft when cooked. If you want to dry peas, you should only use shell peas. Although these contain more starch than sugar, the grains become soft when cooked. If you harvest the wrinkled peas on time, you have wonderfully fresh and aromatic peas that you can be sure that they have not been exposed to chemical sprays.
Pawn Varieties
Pawny peas are particularly popular. One of the reasons might be the rather high sugar content. Sugar enhances the aromas of the wrinkled pea, which is probably why it is also perceived as very tasty. If you have miscalculated the sowing and the result is a bounty harvest, this is quickly remedied: wrinkled peas are very good for preserving and frozen vegetables.
If you need help choosing a variety, take a look here : Pea Varieties: Overview of New, Tried and Resistant Varieties.
- Evita: Medium early variety with robust growth; high yielding and very aromatic.
- Excellence: Modern variety with good fruit quality and very high yield.
- Grandera: Grandera pea variety grows quite robustly and rarely suffers from diseases; high-yielding and particularly tasty.
- Jumbo: Medium late variety with very long and large pods; high yield and good taste.
- Lancet: Later variety with he althy growth; high yield and tasty.
- Markana: Robust variety with a compact and stable growth; requires no climbing aid; taste good.
- Maxigolt: Medium late variety with very good grain quality; very aromatic due to the high sugar content; tolerant to Fusarium.
- Novelia: Medium-early pea variety with robust growth; quite high sugar content and aromatic taste; resistant to mildew.
- Salout: Proven and high-yielding variety with good taste; very early ripening period.
- Sublima: Mid-late wrinkled pea with high sugar content; aromatic and productive; good resistance to stinging fungi, powdery mildew and fusarium.
- Vada: Medium-early and very productive variety with well-filled pods; recommended taste.
- Vitara: Well-suited variety for growing in your own garden; long harvest time, good yield and very resistant to Fusarium and powdery mildew.
- Kelvedon Miracle: Mid-early variety with high yield; the miracle of Kelvedon has meanwhile established itself in the landscape of varietiesWheat Peas won.
Pests and Diseases
Pawny peas can be cultivated well in your own garden. They require little or no fertilizer at all and with a little skill, you can safely do without crop protection. In the event of drought, non-resistant varieties of wrinkled peas can contract powdery mildew. Another fungus that commonly affects peas is Fusarium, which causes leaf wilt. In our latitudes, only the pea moth is actually worth mentioning as a pest.
You can find more detailed information on diseases and pests of peas under: Portrait of the climbing pea: origin and cultivation.