Plant peas - 2 possibilities explained in detail

Brooms are not only pretty to look at in the garden, almost all parts can also be eaten. Here's how to plant vetch peas yourself.

If you want to plant and harvest your own peas in order to enjoy the delicious legumes as a side dish with various dishes, you can do so with the vetchling pea. The fast-growing and soon-to-be-popular plant offers some surprising traits that not everyone is aware of - while also allowing for bountiful harvests that can save a trip to the supermarket. But how is the vetchling planted? And what do you need to know about them?

Vetchpea - what do you need to know?

The vetchling (Lathyrus vernus) is a climbing plant that usually bears legumes, i.e. pea pods, at the end of summer. These are up to five centimeters long and have several seeds inside, i.e. peas. But what many people don't know is that not only the pods and inner peas are edible and taste good, but also the young shoots and flowers of the climbing plant. Both taste slightly sweet and very juicy, so they also like to play a role in the preparation of food. The vetchling is also often used as animal feed because it is very easy to grow in large quantities and, among other things, is very cheap. The seeds can also be processed into flour, which is why the pea is also an interesting plant.

What you should definitely know about vetchling is that it can also be poisonous. This is due to the active ingredient lathyrin, which - consumed in large quantities - can cause discomfort. It is not highly toxic and therefore not very harmful, but eating large amounts of vetchling every day can lead to some he alth problems. For example, diarrhea or vomiting often occurs, but cramps and sweating can also occur. If you want to avoid this, you should only eat the vetchling in moderation as a side dish.

Plant peas - where and how?

If you want to plant the climbing plant, you can use a suitably large tub for this, or you can grow it in a propagation bed on the windowsill.

❏Cultivation in buckets

If you use the first option, you can sow the seeds of the vetchling directly into the freshly introduced potting soil and water them lightly. Spring is ideal for this; the tub can be left outside. If you want to stimulate germination more, you can stretch cling film over the bucket so that the seedlings sprout faster. If you use this option, however, it is important to change the cling film regularly and let the seedlings breathe in the fresh air to avoid rotting and excessive moisture. As soon as the seedlings try to climb (usually the young vetchling tendrils first, making it difficult to untangle them), you should provide them with a climbing aid in the bucket, unless they are to be transplanted.

Several sticks as trellises that are simply stuck into the ground are good and cost free if you collect them in the garden. Fine-meshed wire fence can also be used as a climbing aid. The vetchling tends to grow very quickly, so the harvest can be expected by the end of summer and can continue into the fall - but it is often worth trimming the tops of the plants to make them grow denser and appear as a single plant.

❏ Outdoor cultivation

If you sow the seeds directly in a propagation bed, you have to prick out the seedlings after they have grown and either plant them in the garden. For this they should have a size of at least ten centimeters. Sowing can also take place in spring if you want to grow the seeds outdoors - however, if you start indoors, you can start in winter and save some time. Of course, the seedlings should always be kept moist and thrive in sunny, but not too hot places before they go outside. As soon as they are in the garden, they should be given well-drained soil and plenty of space - because the vetchling spread quite a lot when new shoots are developed and also begin to climb. In this case, too, the vetchling needs a climbing aid in order to be able to grow and not collapse.

The location when planting should be sunny in any case, but also dry and well ventilated so that the vetchling is not attacked by fungi. This is usually the case when the humidity around the vetchling is too high. As a rule, many species of vetchling die after a year, while others are perennial and continue to grow successfully after the winter. So if you want to get a perennial plant toTo save yourself the planting year after year, you should obtain sufficient information from the seller beforehand.