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Vegetable growing guide
Garden peas are a cool-season legume: sow them into cool, moist soil, give them something to climb and pick the pods young. In India they are grown as a winter crop.
Choose tall varieties (up to about 1.8 m) for a long harvest on netting, or short varieties that only need twiggy sticks. TNAU lists Arkel, Azad, Bonneville and Ooty 1, and applies Rhizobium culture and phosphobacteria to the soil just before sowing.
Not needed. Pea seed absorbs water readily.
Not needed. Peas germinate in cool soil without any cold treatment.
Not needed. Sow dry seed into moist soil; in cold, waterlogged soil seed rots instead of sprouting.
Peas germinate from about 4 °C (40 °F); the optimum range is 4-24 °C (40-75 °F), fastest near 24 °C (75 °F), and 29 °C (85 °F) is the upper limit. RHS sows outdoors once the soil reaches about 10 °C (50 °F). On the Indian plains sow in October-November so the crop flowers in cool weather (12-15 °C); TNAU also lists a February-March sowing.
About 5 cm (2 in). Seed sown for pea shoots can go 2.5 cm (1 in) deep.
Well-drained loam, pH 6.0-7.5. Dig in well-rotted manure before sowing; avoid wet, compacted ground.
Moist but not waterlogged. Water after sowing if the soil is dry, then only as needed until seedlings are up.
No light is needed for germination. Grow in an open, sunny spot with good air movement.
About 13 days at 10 °C (50 °F), 9 days at 15 °C (59 °F), 7 days at 20 °C (68 °F) and 6 days at 25-30 °C (77-86 °F).
Tall varieties: seeds 7.5 cm (3 in) apart in a single row or a double row 30 cm (12 in) apart. Short varieties: three staggered rows in a 15 cm (6 in) wide trench, seeds 7.5 cm apart. Leave roughly the variety's height between row sets. TNAU uses rows 45 cm apart with seeds 10 cm apart.
To dodge mice or birds, sow 5 cm deep in pots, tubes or lengths of guttering and plant out when seedlings are about 20 cm (8 in) tall.
Put supports in at sowing or as seedlings appear: netting or wire on posts for tall varieties, twiggy pea sticks for short ones. Keep weeds down while plants are small.
TNAU applies farmyard manure with a basal NPK dressing, then a little extra nitrogen 30 days after sowing.
Water well once plants start to flower and again two weeks later; this swells the pods more than frequent light watering.
Early varieties crop in about 12 weeks, maincrops in 14-16 weeks. Sowing in batches spreads the harvest.
Pick shelling peas when pods are full but still bright green, mangetout and sugar snap at about 7.5 cm (3 in). Regular picking keeps plants flowering. Pea shoots are ready in 3-4 weeks at 10-15 cm (4-6 in).
Sow peas in the cool season and pick the pods young for the sweetest crop.
On the plains in October-November, so the crop flowers in cool weather; TNAU also lists a February-March sowing. Flowering and pod set need about 12-15 °C.
That is powdery mildew. Give rows more space, water the soil rather than the leaves and sow early enough that the crop finishes before hot weather.
Tall varieties need netting or wire up to about 1.8 m; short varieties only need twiggy sticks to keep them upright.
