Green Pea

Green peas are broadly categorized by how the pod is consumed and the growth habit of the vine. Understanding these differences helps you choose the right variety for your kitchen:

• English (Shelling) Peas: These are grown for the sweet seeds inside. The pods are tough and fibrous, making them inedible, but the peas are exceptionally tender and perfect for freezing.
• Sugar Snap Peas: These produce full-size, thick-walled edible pods with large peas inside. They are incredibly crunchy and are often eaten raw or lightly sautéed.
• Snow Peas: These produce flat, edible pods with very small, immature seeds. They are a staple of stir-fries and are harvested when the pods are young and flexible.

Direct Sow: Green peas are very hardy and prefer to be direct-sown. In the South, sow as soon as the soil can be worked in late winter (often 4–6 weeks before the last frost). For a fall crop, sow in late September or October as temperatures drop.

Fall Advantage: Planting in the fall often results in sweeter peas, as the sugar content increases when the plants mature during the cooling nights of autumn.

Pro Tip: In humid climates, always choose varieties with high resistance to Powdery Mildew to extend your harvest window as the season warms up.

Soil Requirements:
pH: 6.0–6.8
Well-drained soil

Fertilizer Schedule:

Before Planting:
Mix 1½ cups of HOSS Complete Organic Fertilizer per 10 ft of row.
If you have never previously grown legumes in the spot you choose to grow peas, we recommend using our Garden Soil Inoculant during planting to boost nitrogen fixation in your soil and boost performance. The inoculant contains millions of live rhizobacteria that will maximize yield benefits by out-competing the indigenous rhizobia for root nodulation.

Pro Tip: Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizer. Legumes produce their own nitrogen.

The Texture Test: For shelling peas, harvest when the pods are plump and round. For snap peas, harvest when the seeds are visible but the pods are still crisp. For snow peas, harvest while the pods are flat and seeds are tiny.

Refrigeration: Store unwashed pods in a perforated bag for up to 5 days.

Freezing: Shell the peas, blanch in boiling water for 90 seconds, then immediately shock in an ice bath. Dry thoroughly before vacuum-sealing. This is the best way to maintain that "fresh-picked" flavor.

Nitrogen Fixation: Like cowpeas, these peas are legumes and produce nitrogen in the soil on their roots. They are great to rotrate in where you will be planting heavy feeder in the next rotation.

Double-Row Trellising: Plant two rows 6 inches apart with a trellis in the middle. This maximizes your garden footprint and provides superior support for vining types.