Peas have been a staple in vegetable gardens dating all the way back to the Bronze Ages. It’s thought that their ease of planting and minimal water consumption made them an excellent crop for civilizations ranging from the Egyptians to the Normans, to the Pilgrims. Peas will grow in any climate but will thrive in cooler temperatures. Adding fresh peas to your meals is a great source of vitamin K, vitamin C, and manganese.

So you’ve decided to plant peas in your fantasitc garden, nice! According to our research on peas, we don’t recommend planting chives, garlic, onion, and shallots nearby.

Peas can be planted in early spring for a fall harvest, or in late summer in warmer climates for a winter crop. Peas don’t require a trellis, but providing the plant with support to grow upwards will help to increase yields from each pea plant. Peas require constantly moist soil to encourage deep root growth, but do not need fertilizer because they naturally produce their own nitrogen through the root system.

Peas are ready to be picked when the pods begin to fatten up. If the peapod looks like it’s ready to burst, and is a dullish green, it has passed it’s maturity and will taste very bitter if eaten. The ideal time to harvest your peas is when there is a slight amount of wiggle to each pea while it’s still in the pod. When picking peas, be sure to gently support the stem so to not break the main stem.  Harvest mature peas every other day to keep the plant in production mode. If mature peas are left on the plant and not removed, the plant will begin to go dormant. Once temperatures reach over 80 degrees, pea plants will stop producing pods.