Juicy, freshly harvested peas taste far better than the slightly colorless canned vegetables. Here is a description of how you can grow peas yourself.
Carrots and peas - this is probably still the most popular vegetable mix here in Germany. And both types of vegetables are also quite easy to grow in your own garden. Growing peas in particular is easier than you might think.
Popular varieties of the so-called wrinkled peas that can be found in many gardens include Grandera, Spring, Evita and Aldermann (later variety). On the other hand, if you use the Sima winter pea, you can sow it in October and harvest it in May. But growing sugar snap peas is also becoming increasingly popular with German gardeners. No matter which variety you ultimately decide on, the cultivation is actually always the same.
Growing Peas
Since the pea usually tolerates a light frost without any problems, you can sow it in the vegetable patch at the end of March or beginning of April. You should already enrich the vegetable patch with compost in the fall so that the peas receive enough nutrients in the spring. Then note the following when planting:
- Seed distance: about 5 centimeters
- Depth: about 10 centimeters
- Row spacing width: 30 centimeters
You should also make sure that you do not plant the pea in the immediate vicinity of nightshade plants, other legumes and onions. Otherwise, it goes well with all other types of vegetables.
Caring for peas properly
Fertilize:
Peas grow almost by themselves, i.e. they do not need any additional fertilizer. You can only work in a little more compost around the plants in April/May.
Casting:
If the spring is very dry, you must water the peas regularly but moderately. In this way, mildew can be largely avoided.
Fight disease/repel pests:
» Pea Powdery Mildew:
If pea powdery mildew does appear, you should spray the plants with garlic tea.
» Pea Wilt:
If the spring is too wet, a fungal disease can also occur(pea wilt) occur, which can only rarely be combated. The infested sticks should then be disposed of in the trash as soon as possible. Not on the organic waste because the pathogen remains active for several years.
Tip:
In vegetable beds affected by pea wilt, you should not grow peas for at least 5 years.
» Repel birds/pea moths:
In addition, you can protect the still small plants - very popular with birds - with a net in the first few weeks. The net often also protects the peas from infestation by the pea moth. It's a small caterpillar eating through the pods.
Harvest Peas
You can harvest the fiber-rich pea pods whole from the stalk from June through July. You can tell when the peas are ripe by the fact that the individual peas are clearly visible through the pods.
After harvesting, the roots of the peas should remain in the ground because they provide optimal nutrients for late crops, such as for subsequent sowing of winter lettuce (e.g. sugar loaf lettuce).