Peas are a classic vegetable that you can also grow in your own garden. But peas require a lot of care and attention.
In Germany, the classic vegetable is usually imported from distant countries - the cultivation of the protein-rich peas is also possible here without any problems and the fresh taste is of course best. The pea (Pisum sativum) is one of the oldest cultivated plants and originally comes from Asia Minor, where it was cultivated several thousand years ago. We will show you how you can successfully grow the popular pea plant in your own garden.
Growing peas: the right location
Basically, it can be said that pea plants make fewer demands on the location than many other types of vegetables. The plant grows well in a sunny spot. But even a semi-shady place is no problem. When choosing a location, you should still take a closer look at the soil. For optimal rooting, this should not be too heavy, but humus and deep. For example, our Plantura organic tomato & vegetable soil is ideal for your pea plants.
Pea plants also prefer soil with a high lime and potash content - so do not choose soil that is too acidic. One point that you should definitely keep in mind is crop rotation when growing peas. The vegetable is incompatible with itself, which is why you should consider a cultivation break of 6 years. The same goes for other legumes like beans or clover.
You should consider these points when choosing the right location for peas:
- Semi-shady to sunny spot
- Humos and profound soil
- Good supply of lime and potash
- Cultivation break of 6 years after the last pea cultivation
Sow peas and propagate them yourself
The sowing of peas in all their variations (wheat peas, string peas, mangetout peas, field peas) is usually done directly outdoors and requires little effort. From the end of March, sow the peas about 5 cm deep in the ground. To do this, keep a distance of 5 - 10 cm betweenthe plants and a row spacing of 40 cm. In the case of wrinkled peas, you should only start sowing from April, when the temperatures are a little higher.
Planting out peas: The way outdoors
In cooler regions you can also prefer the peas on the windowsill. From March, sow the peas about 5 cm deep in seed pots and plant the young plants outdoors in April.
Caring for peas properly
Once the temperatures rise in spring, pea plants grow so fast that it is difficult to keep up, forming many flowers which later grow into tasty legumes. Despite the supposedly easy pea cultivation, you should consider a few care tips.
Water the peas
Pea plants generally do not need a lot of water. Therefore, it is better to water less than too much. If you overwater the plant, it may die over time. In the long-lasting heat in summer, you should still make sure that you water regularly.
Fertilize peas
The popular pea belongs to the legume family (Fabaceae), which, in addition to being useful as a vegetable, also enriches the soil with nitrogen (legumes). This ensures that the use of additional fertilizer is not necessary for peas. A loose soil structure, which you can achieve by regularly hoeing the soil, is more important than the supply of additional nutrients. In addition, hoeing also removes unpopular weeds from the bed.
Peas provide a climbing aid
As with most legumes, it is also a good idea to set up a climbing aid in the form of branches for the pea. Most pea varieties grow to a maximum height of 80 cm, so brushwood or hazel branches are sufficient for stabilization. Insert the branches into the space between the plants once they have reached a few centimeters in height.
When caring for pea plants, you should heed the following tips:
- Rather water less than too much
- No fertilization necessary due to its own nitrogen fixation
- A climbing aid made of branches serves as a support
Pea varieties and variations
The pea has a large number of different variations and varieties to offer for cultivation in your own garden. We have a small one for youSelection selected:
Field Peas (Pisum sativum L. convar. speciosum (Dierb.) Alef. )
Field peas are also known as field peas or field peas. The high protein content (20-25% of dry matter) is well suited for animal feed:
- Alvesta: New variety with high grain yield and plenty of protein.
- Respect: Excellent variety with good growth; high yield with lots of protein.
Wheatpeas (Pisum sativum L. convar. medullary alef. )
Pawny peas are usually processed by the industry because of their good taste. For your own garden we recommend:
- Vitara: Well-suited variety for growing in your own garden; long harvest time, good yield and very resistant to Fusarium and powdery mildew.
- 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.
Peas (Pisum sativum L. convar. Sativum)
Peas are usually dried after harvesting and then cooked:
- Earliest of May: Extremely early shell pea with a good aroma and good yield.
- Kleine Rheinländerin: Traditional and robust variety with medium to early maturity; deep green pods with quite lush kernels.
- Early Harzerin: Early and proven variety with robust growth.
Sweet peas (Pisum sativum L. convar. axiphium Alef.)
Sugar peas have no parchment layer in the pod, which is why they are also known as snow peas and are particularly tender and delicious:
- Ambrosia: Well-known German variety with fleshy pods; very good aroma and high yield.
- Mid-high Normand: Early ripening variety with light green pods.
- Norli: A new variety; grows very compact; ideal for the balcony or terrace; good yield and good aroma.
- Vroege Hendriks: early variety; perfect for growing in German gardens.
You can find more pea varieties in this article.
Harvest peas correctly
It's time for the pea harvest early in the year. The harvest time depends on the variety and differs by several weeks. While yellow peas can be harvested from May, the harvest of marrow and sugar peas starts in June. Check stocks regularly for mature specimens. you recognizethe ripe legumes:
- Tactile peas in the pods
- Mature sweet peas with a pod length of more than 5 cm
If the peas appear, don't wait any longer and harvest them immediately. Otherwise the peas may overripe and taste floury instead of sweet.
Using, freezing and storing peas
If you gradually harvest the fresh peas, it is best to prepare them fresh. We'll show you how to use the protein-rich vegetables and how best to store them if you can't keep up with eating them fresh.
Use peas with pods
Sugar peas, also known as sugar snap peas, are the only type that can be eaten with a pod. In fact, botanically, the pea is not a real pod, as is often thought, but a legume. We recommend not letting them ripen for too long, otherwise they can become fibrous. Blanching in water or pan-frying is ideal for preparation.
Pull the peas out of the pods
In contrast to mangetout, it is not customary to eat the pods of pith and plum peas. You should therefore pod the peas before preparing them: Removing the peas from the pods is quick and easy. You can then compost the pods.
How to store peas correctly with and without pods
Dry Peas:
Drying the peas is a classic and time-saving method of making peas last longer. In principle, only marrow and plum peas are dried, as the pods are not eaten. There are several methods of drying: You can either store the pods closed after harvesting until the peas dry inside.
However, it is better to remove the peas from the pod and let them air dry for a few days. If you want it to go a little faster, you can also put the peas in the oven at low heat (50°C) for a few hours. At the end, put the dried peas in a jar and seal tightly.
Freeze Peas:
Freezing is very suitable for all types of peas to keep the vegetables fresh and green for months. First, briefly blanch the peas in boiling water and then rinse them off. You can thenfreezer bag or other container.
Boil Peas:
One easy way to store peas is by canning them. To do this, proceed as follows: Rinse and boil a mason jar including the rubber seal properly so that there is no contamination. Pour the fresh peas into the jar, add water and seal tightly. Now boil the peas in a jar at 100 °C for about 2 hours. You can use either a pressure cooker or a water bath in the oven. A major disadvantage of canning compared to freezing is the loss of freshness of the peas. Nevertheless, the method is suitable for preserving the vegetables for several months.
Read this article for more detailed information on harvesting and storing peas.