Sweet green peas in their own garden are the dream of many summer residents. This is especially true for those who visit their dachas with children: the little ones delight in both the peas themselves and the process of extracting these green "balls" from their pods. But there are other reasons to grow peas. Firstly, this plant is very easy to care for, growing well and producing fruit without much care. Secondly, peas themselves are an excellent green manure: they enrich the soil with nutrients, so almost any vegetable crop grows well in the garden after being grown.
Growing peas in the garden – planting and caring for the plant
When to sow peas?
The most successful pea varieties (Alpha, Vega, Voronezh Green, and Ambrosia) produce a good harvest almost all summer long. This means these peas can be planted until mid-July.
The ideal time for sowing peas is April and the first half of May. This is when the soil is already frost-free and rich in moisture. In other words, peas sown during this time won't need watering, as they'll draw the necessary water from the soil. Summer sowing, however, is a different story: you'll have to work harder and use a watering can more often.
Where to sow peas?
Since we've discussed how peas are a successful predecessor for most vegetables (especially nightshades), it's worth noting the vegetables that "prepare" the ideal soil for them. For peas, beans, and other legumes, it's best to select beds where cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, or cabbage were previously grown. However, it's not advisable to sow them after legumes, as similar crops greatly deplete the soil for them.
At your dacha, beautiful and sweet green peas will grow in a sunny or semi-shaded garden bed. They don't like deep shade: like other legumes, they prefer to reach for the sun, bathing their peas in its rays.
As for the soil in the garden bed, light sandy loam or black soil are best. Peas don't like highly acidic soil, as this will affect the taste of the harvest. If your garden does have acidic soil, lime the soil before planting (apply 350 g of lime per square meter).
How to choose pea seeds?
Garden stores now sell bags of all sorts of vegetables. The only question is the quality of the seed, as purchased seeds often turn out to be not only weak, but also fail to germinate. To avoid choosing the wrong peas, check the prepared peas before sowing.
To do this, pour 1 liter of warm water into a bowl and dissolve 1 tablespoon of salt in it. Then pour the peas into the container and observe them: only full peas that sink to the bottom are suitable for planting. Don't forget to rinse the peas to remove the salt and dry them afterwards.
Just before planting, for better germination, you can soak the peas in fresh water at room temperature. It's best to change the water every 4-5 hours, as peas like to ferment. After half a day in water, the peas are ready to sow!
How to grow green peas in your garden
1. Using a hoe, make parallel lines – furrows – about 3-5 cm deep in a well-dug (preferably in the fall) bed. Place peas in the furrows at a distance of 7-10 cm from each other.
2. When the soil temperature rises to 5-7 degrees, the peas will germinate: usually, this takes them a little less than 2 weeks.
3. During the germination period, water the peas every few days to ensure the seedlings receive the moisture they need for growth. If you planted the peas during the hot summer, water them daily.
4. The second period when it is very important to water peas abundantly is the formation of seeds after flowering.
5. Peas should be fed with complex mineral fertilizers. fertilizers, but if you have black soil at your dacha, you can get by without fertilizer. However, support is extremely important for peas, no matter what type of soil they grow in. Secure 1- to 2-meter-tall poles into the ground on the north side of the bushes and encourage the pea tendrils to cling to them.
6. That's all the intricacies of growing peas in your garden! Incidentally, you don't have to wait for the round peas to ripen to enjoy them: you can use the juicy and crisp pea pods to make vegetable salads. The peas themselves ripen in the pods in just a couple of weeks, after which they become firm.
So don't miss the moment and harvest your sweet peas on time!
You might be interested to know how to grow fragrant tobacco.
Anatoly
Every year for many years now, I've been planting green peas along a chain-link fence. I select only my own seeds, from the very first pods that fully ripen on the bushes. I step back 10 cm from the fence and dig a furrow along the entire length to a depth of about 5 cm. I water them quickly with warm water from a watering can and plant the peas 5 cm apart. I sprinkle them with ash and smooth out the furrow. THAT'S IT!!! Then they grow on their own, their tendrils clinging to the wire. When they reach a height of about 20 cm, I secure them along the garden bed with string. To strengthen their roots from the wind, they are very weak.