GROW BETTER: PEAS

  April is Perfect for Peas!
  Many Wisconsin gardeners sow peas right around Good Friday, and some of us in early May. Either way, sowing peas is a great way to celebrate the warming spring days and getting back into the garden! 

  Here are some of our favorite tips for sowing peas:

When to Sow 
​  Peas will germinate in cool garden soil (as low as 40°F or 4.5°C), but if you usually have a very wet spring then wait to sow your peas until 4 to 6 weeks before your average last frost date.
​  This will reduce the risk that of the seeds rotting in cool, wet conditions. ​

How to Sow
  Sow peas in a wide trench about 1.5 inches deep. Plant seeds in a "W" pattern with peas aprox 2 inches apart in each direction. Plant in rows 1-2 feet apart. Place supports immediately so young plants can climb as soon as they sprout.
​
Most peas are ready to harvest within 60-70 days after planting. Fresh peas can be stored in the refrigerator for 4-5 days.

How to Grow Better
​  To speed germination, soak pea seeds in room temperature tap water for 12 to 24 hours.
(I like to soak mine overnight.)
  After soaking, mix your seeds with an inoculant like Burpee's Pea and Bean Booster that is available in-store at Ace of Adams. (If you don't want to soak your peas then just add a fine sprinkle of the inoculant on top of the peas seeds as you sow. Water before covering with soil.)
  Rhizobia bacteria works with legume roots (like those of peas) to pull nitrogen from the air into the soil, increasing the number of peas you harvest and fertilizing the soil for the next crop.

Sow for Succession
​  Sow peas a second time. Two weeks after your first sowing, sow another row of peas to prolong the sweet harvest.
​  Mark your calendar, because you can sow a third time, in late summer, 10 to 12 weeks before your average first frost date for a late-season harvest.

Varieties to Grow
These are some of our favorite varieties of peas we've grown in Adams County, WI. 
​
Shelling Peas
Progress #9
Green Arrow
Wando (heat tolerant)

Snow Peas
Oregon Sugar Pod II
Golden Sweet (heat tolerant)

Sugar Snaps
Super Sugar Snap (heat tolerant)
Sugar Magnolia

Great for Containers
Tendersweet
Alaska
Little Marvel
​Tom Thumb

More Helpful Links
https://www.almanac.com/plant/peas
https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/growing-beans-and-peas-wisconsin/
Preserve Your Harvest
http://pickyourown.org/freezing_peas.htm
​http://www.pickyourown.org/peas_canning.htm