How to Grow and Grow a Pea Plant (with Pictures)

2024 Author: Jason Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-19 22:11

Peas are known as horse peas, peas, Windsor beans, and the most famous name is fava beans (vicia faba). Peas are plants that have flowers, a type of shrub that bears pods or legumes which, if traced, comes from the western part of the Asian continent. Legumes grow in areas with cool weather and plenty of sun, and can be grown in different climates. Apart from being an excellent source of protein, vitamins A, B, and C, this plant is also rich in fiber and delicious when eaten; making it a useful plant to grow in the garden. You can learn how to grow, care for, and pick peas in this article.

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Part 1 of 3: Growing Peas

Step 1. Choose the different types of peas you want to grow

Peas are available in many different varieties, and some of them may be suitable for growing in the plot of land you have. Maybe you want to grow peas in a small kitchen garden or in a large greenhouse; Don't worry, there's always the right type of peas for every size of planting site. Some types of peas are strong and good for example:

• The Sutton variety grows to only 30 centimeters, making it a good choice for planting in small gardens, greenhouses, and anywhere else if the plot of land available is not too large.

  

• Imperial Green peas can produce beans up to 40 centimeters long, and each petal contains several large and famously delicious beans.

  

• Stero type, which is a dense plant and can give a lot of results if the beans are picked regularly. Stero beans taste very sweet, and can even be eaten without having to be cooked first.

  

• The Red Epicure type produces nuts that are bright red in color. These beans can be used as a different and exotic option to replace the regular fava beans or peas.

  

• Type Aquadulce Claudia, is a type of plant that has been around since the 1850s. In addition to winning awards for its taste and resilience, this type of plant can also grow well, especially in winter. So, you can plant them in late fall or in winter.

  

Step 2. Choose a good date for planting peanut seeds based on the climate you live in

Depending on where you live, you can plant peas in late fall after you've cleaned your garden after the summer. This means that you can pick peas in the spring, when you are ready to plant another crop. But if you live in an area where the winters are very cold, you should wait until spring comes before planting. This is important to remember.

• Temperature zone: in most areas, you can plant peas in early spring so you can harvest the produce in late summer. Peas should be grown in areas where the temperature is between 15-18 degrees Celsius; beans are difficult to grow in areas where the temperature is hotter than 27 degrees Celsius.
• Warm Mediterranean climate: allow the plant to grow in areas where the winters are less extreme. Fava beans can grow healthily in temperatures around -9.4 degrees Celsius, so they are best left to grow over the winter in certain regional climates. Because of the long growth period, you can plant peas in late fall so you can harvest them in early spring.
• Cold or very hot areas: for areas where the temperature fluctuates unexpectedly, grow peas indoors. If you live in western or southeastern Central America, the seasonal shift from winter to summer is often unpredictable, so it's rare for many types of peas to survive. Therefore, growing them indoors for a few weeks before moving them outside is a better option.

Step 3. Prepare the soil that has been mixed with fertilizer

Whenever you decide to plant peas, plant them in tilled soil and fertilized with your choice. Peas are nitrogen gas-producing plants, so you don't really need to fertilize them. But if you apply fertilizer, use a fertilizer that is low in nitrogen.

Choose a planting spot that is exposed to direct sunlight, and do not plant peas near onion plants. Work the soil where the peas will be planted, then dig a few inches of soil and apply compost

Step 4. You may consider inoculation of plant seeds to speed up their growth

Peas can grow in any type of soil, as legumes can usually meet their own nutritional requirements. However, you can help plants convert nitrogen by using Rhizobia bacteria to promote growth and help plant roots make nitrogen. This bacterium is available as a black powder, and can be found at any garden store.

Slightly moisten the seeds of the pea plant and place them in a coffee can or cup filled with inoculated bacteria. After that, shake it for a few minutes slowly, so that the seeds can be covered with bacteria evenly. The seeds are ready to be planted

Step 5. Immediately sow the pea seeds in moist, well-cultivated soil

Before planting with seeds, gently moisten the soil with water to keep the soil moist. Don't flood the soil with water, just add a little water to keep the soil moist.

• Divide the plot of land into two rows, the first row is about 20 centimeters from the second row. You can give it a little more space if you're growing a pea plant that grows big. Then to plant the pea seeds, use your fingers to make a hole in the row of soil about 5 centimeters from the surface.
• Look for a dark spot on the surface of the seed-the “eye” of the seed-and plant the seed with the “eye” facing down. Some gardeners recommend planting twice as many seeds as you originally wanted to plant, in case any seeds don't sprout.

Step 6. If you live in a colder climate, start planting seeds indoors

One great way to grow them is to use cardboard tubes from toilet paper rolls; each tube is filled with every seed you raise. Use the special seed growing tray, which can be purchased at any garden store, to line up used tissue roll tubes and start planting pea seeds.

• Set up a tissue tube in the special tray, and insert it to fit into each hole. Fill the jar at least to full with the special type of soil normally used for container grown plants. You might spill some of the dirt, but you don't have to worry about making a mess.
• Place one of the seeds on top of the soil that has been filled into each tube. If you already have shoots that come out of seed by wetting them, place the roots of the shoots under the soil. Gently water the jars from above to allow the soil to become slightly compacted, then fill each jar with a small amount of soil again until it covers the seeds.
• Place the tray at room temperature until the seeds begin to sprout, then move the tray to a sunny location. Cool temperatures will not affect the seeds, as long as the temperature does not fall beyond the cold point for a long time.

Part 2 of 3: Caring for Peas

Step 1. As the plant grows taller, you will need to put a stake in the plant

Small bushes on which the beans grow will soon become filled with heavy petals of the pea, so the plant will slump to the ground if not provided with good support. For this reason, it is important that you place stakes along the rows of soil planted with peas to support the plants as they begin to grow taller.

• Use small wooden stakes and place them along the ground, with each stake about 30, 5 or 61 centimeters apart. Connect each stake with a strong thread, as a place for the plant to rest. You can use strong twine or pieces of fabric from old sheets to tie the plant to the post (don't make a tight knot). This way, the plant can grow straight and the nuts won't fall to the ground.
• Don't delay installing the stake until the plant is large and slanted; because installing it when the plant is large will easily damage the roots. In addition, if the plant is left tilted and dropped to the ground for too long, the plant can become infected with fungus.

Step 2. You don't need to water your pea plant as often, but when you do water it, use plenty of water to allow the water to seep deep into the soil

Peas can survive drought, but you should still water them well, especially if you live in a warm climate. Water the soil where the plant grows at the coolest time of the day-in the morning, or in the evening after dinner-and don't over-water. Do not flood the soil around the plant with water.

Do not water the pea plant from above and allow the water to drip down into the soil. Doing this will allow mold to grow and cause other problems. Water only the soil

Step 3. Remove any existing weeds, especially if you want to grow this plant in the winter

The roots of the pea plant are relatively shallow; You can easily, accidentally, uproot the roots if you try to pull out the weeds with a hoe. So, pull the weeds by hand and clean the area where the pea plants grow. Once the plants start growing, you don't have to worry too much about the weeds.

Step 4. When the plant begins to grow bean calyx, pluck the new shoots growing on the plant

The plant will continue to grow and produce too many beans, unless you slow down its growth by picking the new shoots from the top of the plant as soon as you see the plant start to grow pea petals. At this point, you can pick some of the leaves to eat, which can be made into lettuce vegetables.

Pull off the growing tip of the plant when you see young beans starting to appear at the base of the plant. Remove the tip of the plant with the two leaves attached to the top of the plant. If you don't want to eat the leaves, you can turn them into compost

Step 5. You may consider using a crop cover

If you have problems with rodents, guinea pigs, rabbits, or other plant pests plaguing your garden, cover your pea plants with a cover if desired. This cover is a sheet of plastic or cloth with spikes that can be attached around the plant, so that the plastic covers the plant. Using a plant cover gives plants ample space and air circulation to grow, as well as warmth.

• It's also a good idea to use a plant cover if you're planting peas in the fall, as the cover can store heat near the soil surface and protect the plant from frost.
• If you want to use this cover, leave the rows of plants open for a while in the middle of the day, or maybe while you are pulling weeds, to give the plants better air circulation. Watch for fungal attacks and see if any of the plant stems have rotted surfaces. If you notice a small part of the plant that is whitish or yellowish in color, don't water the plant too much and leave the plant exposed to more air.

Step 6. Beware of aphids

Aphids usually like pea plants and gather at the top of the plant, precisely near the shoots and buds that are just growing. Some gardeners use an insecticidal spray to kill aphids, but an easier way is to cut off the top of the plant where you see the aphids congregating. If you are an avid gardener, you should trim off the tops of the leaves before the aphids damage the plant.

Part 3 of 3: Harvesting Peas

Step 1. Harvest the plant early to eat all the nuts

As with other legumes, peas are tender and edible only in the first few days after the pea calyx begins to form on the plant. You can eat them like sugar snap peas, or steam them all as a side dish. Peas usually have a waxy outer layer that coats each pea; but if you start picking when the nuts are young, the outer layer of the nuts is soft and edible.

• Look for bean petals that are thin and narrow and bright green in color. The skinny, non-protruding shape of the nut's petals is a sign that the nut in the pod is ripe. If any beans are visible, do not pick them first and allow them to grow until they are fully ripe.
• Don't pick too many young nuts, as the fully ripe ones taste better. If you can't wait any longer, it's okay to pick a few young nuts from each plant. But let most of the rest cook.

Step 2. Pick the ripe nuts, which you can see by their light colored petals and no bumps on the sides

The peas are ready to be harvested when the shape of the pea shells is full and the beans inside are round and distinct (can be separated from other beans in the same shell). When the peas are ready to be harvested, the petals on the plant will look full and begin to fall down due to the weight of the beans inside.

Depending on the type of pea you are growing, each plant can produce several petals. The length of each bean calyx ranges from 15, 24-38, 1 centimeter, with some of the nut filling which is large and fat. If you pick them regularly throughout the harvest season, you can open up more land to produce more nuts, given that the growing season is good from a weather point of view

Step 3. Peel the beans you have harvested

In order to eat peas, you have to remove the beans from inside the lids. Grasp the nut's petals with the tapered end up, then pull the fibers on the sides of each nut to open the nut's petals.

• Again, depending on the type of plant, each petal usually has 5-10 large nuts each covered by a thick waxy coating, which must be removed before eating. Doing so takes effort, but doing it regularly can speed up the peeling process.
• The easiest way to peel nuts is to put them in boiling water for a count of five, then immediately remove the nuts with a slotted spoon (so that the water can drain) and immediately place them in cold water. The outer layer of the nut will loosen.

Step 4. You can enjoy bean dishes in the form of soup, lettuce and other foods

The best way to eat peas is in the simplest way: steam the beans and serve with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Peas are usually large, filling, and tasty, and pair well with red meat. Peas can also make a good base for pea soup, or as an addition to a large lettuce.

Step 5. Return the entire plant to the soil after the nuts have been consumed

The pea plant is a plant that can produce nitrogen, so it is good to put it back into the soil so that the nutrients can enrich the soil nutrients. Cut each plant to the bottom and insert the plant roots into the soil. Cover the crops with soil and plant the plots with other crops so that plants that require nitrogen can be planted in those areas the following growing season.

Tips

• Pea plants can grow well in any type of soil. But the richer the nutrient content of the soil, the better the yield.
• Do not store the pods that have been picked in the refrigerator; Peanut petals will blacken and deflate quickly. Peanut petals are best stored for several days in a cool, dry place with plenty of air.
• Nuts can also be dried. Remove the nuts from the lids, place them in a dry place and allow them to dry completely. Dried beans can be stored in an airtight container and can be eaten or replanted later.
• For longer storage, freeze peas. Remove the nuts from the lids and place them in a plastic bag. After that, freeze.