Tips on How to Grow the Sweetest Tasting Peas in Your Home Garden
by John Yazo
Peas are a favorite to most home gardeners. They are a early crop that can be planted all season with little care. There is no better taste than peas that are home grown in your own organic garden.
Start peas as early in the season as possible in a sunny location. The soil be between 45 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit for them to germinate and the ph level of the soil should be between 6.0 - 7.5. The soil that they prefer is a nutrient rich, well draining soil.
Peas are a cool weather crop and will tolerate a light frost. They are very adaptable to the early spring cold and damp weather conditions. Seed can be planted directly into the soil as early as a month before the last expected frost. You want them in early to get the best harvest possible before the heat of the hot summer months. Hot temperatures will stop there production. A second crop can be planted in late summer for a fall harvest. To determine the time to plant the second crop you will need to know how many days the variety your are growing takes to reach maturity from the planting date and count back from your first expected frost date in your area. If your first frost is expected in late October and the maturity time is 60 days then you want to plant them the end of August or beginning of September. A fall crop can produce as yielding and as sweet of a crop that has been planted in the early spring.
When planting peas you will want to presoak the seeds for about 24 hours before planting. This will soften the outer shell of the seed to allow for quicker germination.
There is little maintenance that is needed to grow peas. Once they are fully established keep them mulched. The mulch will hold moisture in the soil and being that peas like cool conditions this will help to keep there root system from getting hot.
Watering is important with peas around the time they are blooming and starting to mature. Keep the soil moist at all times and care needs to be taken to avoid wetting the foliage and there blossoms. This can cause a problem for two reasons, pollination and the risk of disease due to dampness. Water weekly with a good deep watering.
With a little care you can have a high yielding crop of the best tasting sweetest peas from your own home garden.
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