If you are growing peas (a.k.a., English peas), see below for my tips. Don’t forget that peas prefer soil temperature between 45° and 75°F for germination. The best time to sow peas is about 1 1/2 months before your average last frost date or 3 months before your average first frost date.
Outdoor Sowing Tips:
Soak the seeds for about 6 hours to speed up germination.
Sow the seeds about 1inch deep and 2 inches apart in front of a trellis.
Cover the area where you planted the seeds with netting or a row cover to keep the birds from eating the seeds.
Initially water the seeds from above until the seeds germinate, then switch to the drip system.
Indoor Sowing Tips:
Most seed companies don’t encourage indoor sowing for pea seeds, but I do it all the time.
Soak the seeds for 6 hours to speed up germination.
Put the seeds in seed trays under grow lights until the pea shoots are about 2 to 3 inches high.
Carefully remove the seedling and transplant them two inches apart.
Don’t forget to harden off the seedlings before transplanting.
Plant the seedlings two inches apart in front of a trellis.
Growing Tips:
You can extend the planting and transplanting schedules and be prepared for crazy temperature swings by using hoop tunnels and garden fabric.
Hill the soil around the row of peas so they don’t sit in too much water especially during the spring rainy season.
Keep the pea seedlings and plants moist but not soggy by using a drip system.
Since peas love cooler weather and the roots are relatively shallow, you may want to use some leaf mold as mulch as the temperature heats up in early summer.
As for vertical gardening, it is a good idea to be ready with a trellis. I am use cattle fencing trellis for the tall vining varieties and a 4 foot trellis for the small vining varieties.
To give the pea plants some extra support, I often use stretchy or Velcro plant tape. You intertwine the plants through the trellis for support but sometimes they grow too fast.
Also, birds like to land on the trellis and nibble on the plants so I drape reflective tape over the pea plants to deter them.
Don’t forget that peas are part of the Legume family and are a Pod veggie.
