Peas

Growing

Because peas are nitrogen-fixing legumes, they are a good addition to a crop rotation, helping to improve soil structure and microbial activity. When planting where peas have not been grown before, you can inoculate your seeds with Rhizobium leguminosarum to ensure proper root nodule formation. This helps the plant capture atmospheric nitrogen.

Many varieties are climbers, so provide support to keep vines off the damp ground. You can use a trellis, netting, or "pea sticks" (small branches pruned from woody plants) to create a lattice for the tendrils to grab. Extra dwarf varieties in containers may need little support. Watch for the pea leaf weevil, which can damage foliage, and for blights like Ascochyta or bacterial blight, which can reduce your yield.

Harvest your peas while the pods are still tender and the seeds are not yet fully mature. Once picked, quality declines quickly because they do not ripen further off the vine. To enjoy them later, blanch the peas before freezing them, or use canning or drying methods. If you harvest for eating fresh, keep them unwashed until you are ready to use them to help them stay crisp.