Features of growing peas

Recently, an interesting survey was conducted on the Internet. Gardeners were asked which crop on their site needs the least care. More than half of the respondents answered that peas.

It turns out that growing this plant is very easy. Let's look at the benefits of green peas, what are the features and secrets of growing them.

About snow peas

Peas - a herbaceous plant from the legume family. Its fruits are pods, inside which round green peas ripen. This is what growing peas look like in the photo:

There are two types of sowing peas: sugar and shelling peas. For cultivation on personal plots, shelling varieties are more often used, intended for eating peas. Experienced gardeners speak best of the early varieties Alpha and Gloriosa.

The yield of green peas, depending on the variety, is 0.5-2 kg per square meter.

Peas are traditionally used in four types:

• fresh;
• canned;
• ice cream;
• dried.

The average values ​​of proteins/fats/carbohydrates (BJU) in green peas are 5 g/0.2 g/13 g.

Recipes There are as many dishes prepared from this product as there are varieties of peas.

The benefits and harms of peas

Let's look at the benefits and harms of green peas for humans:

Features of growing peas

Peas, like any crop, have peculiarities in agricultural technology. Let's look at everything in order.

Sowing dates

Peas are considered a cold-resistant crop. Therefore, seeds are sown even at low temperatures, starting from the second half of April. You can sow peas in new areas every two weeks. This will extend the harvest period. It is collected from late June to September.

Landing

The best predecessors of green peas in the garden are cucumbers, pumpkin, cabbage and potatoes.

Peas are planted in the ground, making grooves in the bed at a distance of 50 cm from each other. Leave 5-7 cm between the peas in the row. Planting depth is 3-5 cm. The seeds are sprinkled with earth and compacted.

Attention! You should not grow peas in a freshly fertilized bed. All fertilizers will go into the green tops, and there will be few pods.

Care

Pea shoots will appear in about a week.

There is no special hassle with planting. Care comes down to:

• weeding;
• watering;
• establishing support for plants;
• loosening the top layer of soil;
• timely harvest.

Watering

Peas do not tolerate heat well. Therefore, it is advisable to water it abundantly. During dry periods, water consumption for irrigation is up to 9-10 liters of water per square meter of planting.

Garter to support

To prevent peas from creeping along the ground, they need to be supported.This can be twine stretched along a row of peas, or rods (pegs) stuck into the ground right next to the roots of the plant.

A mesh with large cells attached along a row of plants is also suitable. The pea produces tendrils, with which it attaches itself to the support.

Harvesting

When are snow peas harvested? Peas bloom in 30-50 days (depending on varieties) after germination. 2-3 weeks after the start of mass flowering, you can begin harvesting. Smooth, green pods (without rough skin) are considered ripe.

Attention! Harvesting stimulates the growth of new pods well.

A dozen or two pods can be left on the bush until fully ripe and used as seeds for planting next year. They will remain viable for two years.

Prevention of diseases and pests

The main pests of peas are the leaf roller and the pea codling moth. There are plenty of chemical means to combat them on the shelves of gardening stores (for example, “Danadim”). But it is not advisable to use chemicals in the garden plot.

In such cases, gardeners use a folk remedy - garlic tincture. Add 100 g of garlic, passed through a garlic press, to 10 liters of water, leave for 24 hours and spray the plants. The tincture is also effective against pea aphids.

Reference. To prevent plants from getting sick, it is important to follow a crop rotation schedule. And you shouldn’t plant peas in the same bed for several seasons in a row.

From reviews of gardeners

Almost all gardeners emphasize the excellent taste of green peas. They raise it to enjoy tender sweet peas, to please themselves and their children and grandchildren.

Here are some secrets shared by gardeners in caring for peas:

Albert, Kazan: “I grow peas not only to eat tender peas, but also to enrich the soil with nitrogen. After harvesting, I do not tear the plants out of the ground, but mow them down, leaving stumps. Then, when digging, I embed them in the ground. Great benefit to the soil".

Galina, Tver region: «I pre-soak the seeds so that they sprout faster and more easily. I pinch the crown, then the plant does not waste energy on growing tops. I love the Sweet Pearl variety the most.”.

Conclusion

Peas are a valuable food crop. It contains many vitamins and microelements useful for humans. It also has contraindications for use.

If you decide to grow it on your site, then it will not require much attention. All you need to do is plant, tie up and water. Thanks to the extended sowing time (from April to early July), you can harvest from this wonderful plant for a long time.