Peas
SFG spacing: 8 per square
Plant directly in the garden in early spring, as early as 9 weeks before the last frost date, and as late as 5 weeks before the last frost date. Plant them as soon as the ground is no longer frozen and you can work the soil.
You may want to stagger your harvest by planting over the course of several weeks. If you are going to fertilize peas use something low in nitrogen. I used a “blooming and rooting” fertlizer (9-59-8) before I saw any flowers, and within days I had tons of blooms, and soon I had peas.
For a fall planting, plant 10 weeks before the fall frost date.
Harvest snap peas (edible pods) 5-8 days after flowering, when the pod is full-size, but the peas are still small.
More Peas Resources:
- Peas Reference Sheet (Utah Extension Service)
Filed under: Veggies
Thank you so much for your information. This is my first year giving this a try. I am busily preparing my soil and boxes to get my peas in. I am a little unclear though. In addition to the “Mels Mix”, is it necessary to fertilize the soil? I noticed you said you put “blooming and rooting” fertilizer down on your peas. Do you do that with all the plants and if so, do you use the same fertilizer on all your plants, or do you use a different fertilizer for different plants? Thanks for your help!
Nichole–you have found an area where Mel and I go our separate ways. He insists that if you use at least 5 types of compost and refill each square with a scoop every time you plant, this will provide enough nutrients for your garden. First, I have almost never been able to find 5 good types of compost (steer manure is not good). Second, I have done it both ways and find I have a much more successful garden when I fertilize. Now, some people prefer a totally organic method, which is great. I know there’s a bunch of concoctions you can make and spread on your garden to feed it. But the point is the same–the amount of nutrients in the soil is not sufficient. I feel you have to add stuff.
I love the rooting and blooming–it is low in nitrogen. Too much nitrogen can result in overgrowth of the leaves, and undergrowth of the fruits. But I only use the rooting and blooming for:
1. rooting–starting my seeds
2. blooming–flowering plants
So I use it on peas, beans, tomatoes, peppers, but not on root veggies (onions, carrots, garlic) or herbs.
Why 8 and not 9 per square foot? I’ve read the book front to back and can’t figure this one out. What pattern do you use for 8?
I know I’ve written this somewhere else in the comments, but I’m not sure where. If you didn’t need to support the peas, you would plant 16 per square. However, you want to trellis them, with the trellis in the middle. So it looks like this:
x x x x
———- (trellis)
x x x x
Make sense?
That makes sense! I had only been thinking of a trellis on the outside of the box, which is what I’m planning to do.