Pass the peas please
Plant peas on St. Patrick's day in Colorado. That's what is said. And it's true. Peas can be planted SUPER EARLY here!!! They can germinate in soil as cold as 40° though they'll grow faster if the soil is a little warmer. Personally, I like to winter sow my peas when I can, so I transplant them a little later than St. Patty's day, but when I don't get around to winter sowing, I use this holiday as a time to get the seeds in the ground - and then cover the seeds with a plastic dome or frost cloth to help speed germination.
Seeds or transplants can be placed in the garden as close as 2" apart (seed packets will tell you 4", but to hell with proper spacing 🤣🤣🤣). If you're direct sowing seeds, soak them for up to 24 hours before planting. This will help speed up germination. Place peas in an area where they will get full sun (at least 6-8 hours of direct sun a day).
Most people will say that peas don't transplant well, but like I said, I think winter sowing is great for peas - there is no need to soak the seeds and the germination rate is much higher than direct sowing. Even if you start your winter sown peas on St. Patty's day, they're likely to germinate faster than direct seeding on the same day.
Won't peas die in the cold???
Peas are a cool season crop, they like to be kissed by frost in the spring, but don't love the heavy spring snows we sometimes get. If we're going to have a deep snow, make sure to cover seedlings with a floating frost blanket or plastic dome. Since they prefer cold weather, peas will likely become less productive in the hot summer months. You can plan to replace them with beans or other plants in mid May after the danger of frost has passed, or replace with new pea plants for a fall harvest in mid-July.
Pea plants can be a bush or pole. Bush plants tend to be closer to 24" while pole peas can climb up to 6 or 7 feet. If you are planting a pole variety, place your treillis at the time of planting and plant the peas around the trellis.
Shelling peas
The pod isn't edible. You pick these when the pod looks plump, rounded, and a little shiny. When you open it, the seeds inside should be uniformly round. If the pod is dull and the peas are squished together in the pod, you may have waited too long to harvest.
Shell the peas and eat them raw, cooked in a recipe, or freeze them for later use.
Some of my favorite varieties:
Progress No 9 (18" tall), Little Marvel (30" tall)
Snap peas
These have an edible "stringless" pod that is rounded and full of plump peas - but they can be harvested when smaller and immature as well. Like shelling peas, the optimal time to harvest is when the pod looks plump, rounded and a little shiny. Once the pod is dull it will become tough. You can still shell the peas and use them, but they won't be quite as sweet. Cook them up or eat them raw in the garden. Ours barely make it inside the house.
Some of my favorite varieties:
Sugar Daddy (24-30" tall), Sugar Ann (24" tall), Magnolia Blossom (8' tall)
Snow peas
Also with an edible pod, snow peas are flatter in appearance. These are great to pick small and early since you're not waiting for the pea inside to mature. Once the peas get bigger they're not very tasty.
Some of my favorite varieties:
Oregon Sugar Pod II (28" tall), Mammoth Melting Snow (4-5' tall)
Regardless of the type of pea you plant here are some tips for harvesting:
You'll get more peas the more you pick them. It's best to harvest every 2-3 days.
Use two hands to harvest - one to hold the plant, the other to remove the pod.
Eat as soon as possible or store them frozen for later use. If you want you can blanch peas before freezing, but I'm lazy and typically skip this step.
You can also let the peas dry on the vine and store them dry to use in soups! (PS. that's also how you save the seeds for next year)
PS. St. Patty’s day is Friday, March 17 this year! That’s just one week from the time this was published!!!
