Peas are a prime example of the difference between shop purchased vegetables and those fresh from the garden. Fresh peas win every time, on taste, texture and food value.
How To Plant:
If your garden soil is workable and not too wet, you can get the seeds in the ground. After planting, keep the seeds well watered. when the seedlings are a couple of inches tall, give them support so that they don't tumble down into a tangled snarl. bind your pea vines into their supports with strips cut from old stockings or pantyhose. It's smart recycling, and it stretches as the vine grows.
When to Harvest:
At peak ripeness the outer shell will be bright green, if you wait too long the peas will lose their sweetness and turn hard. Morning is the best time to peak, because the sugar content is highest then. pick the vines as the peas ripen. If you do that, the plants will keep flowering and continue to produce.
Recommended Varieties:
‘Snowbird’ resistant to fusarium wilt
‘Sugar Ann’ early variety, short vine
‘Green Arrow’ mid-season variety, high yields