Pea planting time?

[DarJones]

I usually plant my peas about the 1st to the 15th of February. They don't germinate for a few more weeks after that. My planting zone is 7b and I am in NorthWest Alabama.

This year, I have plans for a full row of Blue Pod Capucijners which include some plants segregating with the gene for edible pods. I got a couple of cross bred plants last year and hope to work on stabilizing a blue pea similar to sugar snap.

When do you plant peas?

DarJones

[Joseph Lofthouse]

Dec 28, 2010 1:09:02 GMT -5 DarJones said:

When do you plant peas?
DarJones

I plant my first crop peas a few days after the snow melts, which usually occurs during March, but sometimes as early as mid February or as late as mid April. I dig furrows with a hoe. I have to wait a couple days so the clay/silt sticking to the hoe is only highly irritating, but not unbearably obnoxious. I plant into fall-tilled soil. These provide my first of season peas. Sometimes they get a bit of frost damage to a few leaves.

Then during April after the garden has dried out enough to till I use an Earth-way seeder to plant my main crop peas into spring-tilled soil.

This year I planted winter peas on November 15th. They are germinating fine under snow-cover. I also planted a few lentils on the same day.

This spring I want to plant a pea crop later than usual to see if I can extend the season a bit. They sure sell well.

Wish I could get the timing right for a fall crop of peas.

[robertb]

I'm not planting any till March or April. My plot is right next to the stream, and it's between the current bed - an old mill leat - and the original one. So it slopes away from the stream, and often gets badly waterlogged in winter. Between that, cold, and pigeons, I find it better to delay!

[cornishwoman]

I'm hope to start my pea patch ,mid to late Feb. I didn't use an nitrogen fixer last year,cant remember why but I'm using one this spring. Come fall I shall plant a patch late July for fall harvest,I love fresh peas,also keeping my fingers crossed there is not another deluge this spring.

[cornishwoman]

I meant nitrogen inoculant , not fixer.

[ottawagardener]

Usually early April as the snow melts around the end of March. However, if I have a polytunnel, I usually stick some really cold hardy ones in the ground as soon as it thaws inside of that. This isn't my best crop but it's good for pea shoots and a sprinkling of pods.

[robertb]

Dec 28, 2010 9:17:38 GMT -5 cornishwoman said:

I'm hope to start my pea patch ,mid to late Feb. I didn't use an nitrogen fixer last year,cant remember why but I'm using one this spring. Come fall I shall plant a patch late July for fall harvest,I love fresh peas,also keeping my fingers crossed there is not another deluge this spring.

Did your peas grow satisfatorily last year? If they did, you already have the bacteria in your soil (they're present in most gardens), and you'll be wasting your money if you buy more of the same.

[cornishwoman]

No Robertb they dident.I planted a swath of peas last spring then came the great flood ,one little plant made it then died,so it was a real miserable year for .

[wildseed57]

I try to plant as early as possible late March early to mid April and hope that we don't a hard late frost. I have a mixed bunch of peas that I plant including some unusual deep purple seeded variety the seeds turn purple when the peas are fully mature, I also have some that are a purple podded variety called King Tut along with a old white flowered one called Mummy White, all are shelling peas.
I do have a good number of sugar snap and snow type peas, the weather has been a big guessing game along with the amount time before the mildew hits, Last year it was really bad.
George W.

[mnjrutherford]

My husband has been told to plant "English" or "garden" peas in January through February. That kinda blows my mind to be honest. However, he's cleared and burned the field to get it started. We'll prolly buy the seed when we go to the feed & grain this coming month. I would LOVE to try some of the great varieties of peas I had last year... but most of them didn't produce anything at all. The "Bishop's Grey" grew to over 6' tall but never flowered then died almost over night. I'm a pea killer.

[keen101 (Biolumo / Andrew B.)]

Blue Pod Capucijners are also in my pea mix this year. I also got some of those yellow podded peas. Rebsie's red-podded pea breeding has tempted me to try my hand at pea breeding this year. *comically shakes fist at Rebsie*

I can't wait until april, so i can start planting everything. I also obtained a Colorado native yellow flowered pea, and hope i will be able to breed it as well. I finally talked myself into buying a decent digital camera, so i should have plenty of pictures this year. I have a good feeling about 2011 being a great year for growing peas!



mnjrutherford, haha. I'm sure your not a pea killer. Keep at it, i've got a good felling about 2011 in regards to peas. ...I thought you said you lived in Florida, but your picture says N. Carolina. Well, anyway, i was going to suggest maybe trying the spanish peas from nativeseeds if you lived in florida as apposed to the english peas. But, i dont know.

Oh, P.S, does anyone know if peas prefer to be planted in the shade? Last year we planted regular peas in a corner of the yard where the soil isn't particularly that good, but it was slightly shady, and the peas did fantastically well.

[flowerpower]

I'm planting peas as soon as I can. I would say late March. I love the little peas like Petit Pois. But I also plant Alaska, Laxton's Progress, and several others. For snow peas, I plant Oregon Sugar Pod and LISP Monk's Madness Mix. The latter is a combo of green, yellow & purple pods. Pretty and tasty. Are the Blue Pod Capucijners tasty at all? I bought the baker creek Blue Podded Pea last season. It's terrible tasting even the first day it shows the pod. I can't pick it any earlier. lol I'll be growing it as an ornamental from now on.

I plant some peas where they only get good morning light. They are shaded from the hot afternoon sun. Alot actually live through the whole summer and start producing again in the fall. The soil is a little cooler in the shade. Peas like that.

[mnjrutherford]

I was born in Florida, lived most of my life in California, came to NC in '06. Maybe that's why you were thinking Florida? I sure appreciate the supportive anti-peakillerist comment! I'm pondering the innoculant thing. Perhaps that is my problem? We'll be putting the peas on the other side of the house this year. We shall see what we shall see as far as how they grow this year. Iffn we get decent results, I'll be looking to try some "fancies" next year.

By the by, I verified with Mike about when to plant and he was told ""Anytime during "Old Christmas"." So, between Dec 25 and Jan 6. Seems AWFULLY early to me, but then I've been known to be wrong on RARE occasion... ;o)

Thanks for putting me on the idea of the innoculant Kate!

[ottawagardener]

Blue Pod Capucijners is meant to be used as a dry soup pea and it is tasty for that though my kids occasionally eat them as shelling peas and though they are not super sweet, they aren't that bad here.

I concur that peas like sun but don't like being hot so if you are in a scotching area then they prefer to be a bit shaded especially in the afternoon. I grew some with good success in 4 hours of sun one year. Two good combos I've tried for spring peas are carrots with peas - the carrot foliage keeps the ground cool and moist and potatoes and peas. The last one has worked so well for me that I keep doing it. Where I am going to plant spring self supporting shelling peas and main crop potatoes, I dig a trench down the middle to plant the peas as early as possible. These are up and growing by the time the potatoes go in the ground. After the pea harvest is finished, the potatoes really start to sprawl and I cut down the pea stalks in the centre. Anyhow, works for me.

Colorado yellow flowered pea??

[galina]

Sowing time is mid February indoors, planting mid March outdoors - works well for me. Central England, zone 8, last frost date end of May.

Round seeded peas are hardier than wrinkle seeded and could be sown earlier, but I don't because of lack of day light here.

Every transplanted group of 3-5 peas gets a bottle cloche, because of our mice problem.

Direct sowing outdoors does not work well here at all.