Peas, sugar peas – cultivation, sowing and care

After the development of maturity of the seeds and their utilization, a total of three pea forms can be distinguished; A classic representative of healthy vegetables is the pea pea (also called pea pea or Brockeler pea), which has round and smooth seeds. Starchy and floury when ripe, it is only suitable for consumption at a very early stage and when it is unripe. Because shell brooms can be dried and swelled again very well, the seeds are ideal for preparing stews or soups. On the other hand, marrow peas should not be dried; the wrinkled seeds, which because of their higher sugar content taste quite sweet and are very tender, are used fresh or frozen. This pea shape is harvested before it ripens. Sugar peas, which can be consumed completely, are particularly popular, as they do not form a parchment skin. The harvest takes place with the sweet and sugary grains. No additional support is required when cultivating sugar peas, while the other two varieties require appropriate devices.

Location and soil

All pea shapes are very robust and adaptable; The vegetables tolerate moderate weather conditions well. The mounting location does not have to meet any special requirements. Even a certain dose of solar radiation does not play a role, so that the plants can be cultivated in sunny areas in the garden as well as in partial shade. However, peas thrive particularly well in the sun. Once a location has been chosen, it can be used for a maximum of three years. After that, the area can no longer be cultivated with the green vegetables for eight years. The change of location is necessary because the plant has a high intolerance to itself.

The substrate that is used for growing peas should have certain characteristics:

• profound
• not too hard
• rich in lime and potash salts
• fumes
• pH between 6 and 7.5

Cultivation and sowing

Various preparations should be made in advance for the cultivation of pea plants. Climbing aids and climbing aids should first be brought to the chosen location, especially when cultivating green peas and spring peas. Thin pieces of wood or wire mesh that are inserted directly into the bed are particularly suitable for this purpose. The wire mesh is stretched on a post. It has proven useful to consider a mixed culture when planning the management of the selected location. If vegetables such as radishes, various types of cabbage, lettuce and courgette are planted in the immediate vicinity of the peas, the crop is less susceptible to fungi.

• The pea seeds are sown directly into the bed
• Sow peas from mid-March
• Sweet peas in late March
• Field peas in early April
• Sow late varieties in particular until May.

If the peas are to be cultivated in single rows, a distance of 40cm must be maintained, with double rows the distance is 20cm and 80cm space to the next double row. There should be a distance of about five centimeters within the row. The sowing and the row design should be done in such a way that the climbing and climbing aids are next to the rows or between the double rows. The seeds are put about 5 cm deep into the earth and pressed down well. Keep the plants well moist until they germinate. It has also proven useful to cover the plants with brushwood or nets to protect them from bird damage.

However, you have to remove the cover again as the peas grow to prevent the plants from becoming entangled in the nets. As soon as the pea plants have reached a height of 10 cm, earth is piled up around the plant areas in order to increase the stability. For this purpose, the earth is poured over the roots.

maintenance

Pea plants are quite frugal and require little care. Regular watering is advisable, but the water portions should not be too large; there is a slight risk that the plant will die. Only in the case of persistent and severe drought has it proven to be useful to provide the plants with more fluid.

If you grow peas in your own garden, you want to benefit from the fact that the vegetables are as free of harmful substances as possible, in contrast to purchased goods. For this reason, no additional chemical fertilization should be used, which can also affect the taste of the peas. However, it has proven useful to provide the plants with compost on a regular basis. Spreading rock flour has also proven its worth.

The occasional loosening of the soil is part of caring for the pea family, as this effectively prevents weeds from spreading.

harvest

The time of harvest of the peas depends on the cultivated form:

• Green peas: end of May (either young or let ripen)
• Spring peas: from June
• Sweet peas: from June (harvest young, tender pods)

In addition to observing the shape of the peas, the timing of the peas also depends on the weather. The ideal time can be determined by touching the pods; if the peas can already be clearly felt in the pods, the time of harvest has come. The vegetables are then particularly tasty. However, if the grains are clearly visible within the pods, the optimal degree of ripeness has been exceeded. – The peas clearly lose quality and taste. For this reason, the individual plants have to be checked again and again in order to harvest ripe pods.

If the vegetables are to be eaten raw, an early harvest is generally recommended. Then the vegetables taste particularly sweet and juicy. If, on the other hand, the desire for cooked peas is in the foreground, the pods can ripen longer. However, the degree of ripeness must not be exhausted, as the grains harden quickly. The exceeding of the harvest can be recognized by the floury taste of pea peas. Once overdue, sweet peas become tough quite quickly. Field peas should still be green when harvested.

storage

If the vegetables are not eaten immediately after harvest, they can easily be stored in the refrigerator. The vegetables stay fresh for up to three days with appropriate cooling. If, on the other hand, larger quantities have been harvested, the peas can also be packed in plastic bags and frozen. The vegetables are then thawed again to make stews or soups.

If new seeds are to be obtained from the peas, targeted drying is also possible. Once removed, the individual peas are placed on the windowsill or taken to a warm place in the sun. The seeds can then be used in the next season.

cut

Once all the pods have been harvested, the location of the plants is processed. For this purpose, a targeted pruning of the plants has proven to be particularly useful. The individual plants are cut off just above the ground, with the roots remaining in the ground. The roots contribute to the sufficient supply of nitrogen to the soil.

Diseases and pests

Most disease problems in pea growing are caused by powdery mildew. An infestation is easily recognizable based on the characteristic damage pattern:

• initially white, later gray-brown coating on the leaves
• Browning of the pods
• Disabilities

The dreaded fungal disease spreads quickly, especially on warm summer days, although early crops are less affected overall. If necessary, the use of a sulfur-containing fungicide is required.

In addition, pea plants are also affected by stinging spot disease, which is caused by various closely related fungi. In the spring, poor growth or death of the young plants presents itself as damage. In addition, spots of brown color can be seen on the leaves, which can also affect stems and remains of the seed coat. From June onwards, small light brown to black-brown spots appear on the leaves, stems and pods. As a preventive measure, growing the peas should not be done on heavy soils, which are poorly warmed in the spring. Infested seedlings and plants must also be removed immediately. If experience shows that the disease occurs more frequently, only chemically dressed seeds should be used in the future.

Pea beetles and pea leaf beetles are classic pests of pea plants. Pea edible beetles show their infestation through bulging and arched feeding points on the edges of the leaves. The targeted use of ground beetles is worthwhile as a preventive measure; As a preventive measure, young plants and seeds should also be covered with protective nets. If the plants are already infested, the beetles can be read with a flashlight after dark. In the case of very severe infestation, on the other hand, the targeted use of a special fungicide that has proven itself in biting insects is indicated. A pea beetle infestation occurs when the seeds contain round holes that are partially closed with the membranous remainder of the seed coats. The beetles can then also be recognized in the holes and sleeves. Infested seeds must be picked out and destroyed; the beetles are regularly read during the flowering period.

Last but not least, all pea forms are attacked by a pest known as the pea moth. The infestation is usually noticeable on the basis of the prematurely ripening pods, which present eaten seeds. In addition, web and excrement residues can be found around the grains. This can be remedied by the use of natural enemies such as ichneumon wasps as well as deep tillage after the harvest. If the infestation is very severe, the same fungicides help that are also used in the pea leaf beetle.

Conclusion
Pea plants offer the health-conscious hobby gardener the opportunity to expand their menu with healthy vegetables. Cultivation and maintenance can sometimes take a lot of time and effort and can be overshadowed by disease and pests. But the enjoyment of the healthy vegetables, which are free from pollutants and pesticides, compensates for the efforts many times over.