Early marrowfat pea

Pisum sativum

Peas have been cultivated since the Neolithic period, and nowadays they are grown almost all over the world. They contain many vitamins and active substances that help us improve the defence capability of our entire organism. They are also a source of proteins and vitamins C, B, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, and others. They belong to annual crops. This legume vegetable belongs to the pea family. The flowers are white and the fruit is a pod. The seeds can be light to dark green.

Peas can be divided into three cultivated groups. Shelling peas, whose seeds are suitable for freezing and fresh preparation in the kitchen. Sugar snap peas, where the entire pod including the seeds is used for consumption. Round-seeded peas, which have a high starch content. They are suitable for heat processing, for example in soups. According to growing earliness, we distinguish very early varieties, early, mid-early, mid-late, and late varieties.

How to Grow Peas

• They require a bright location, but not direct scorching sun. Peas are among cold-loving plants. They thrive best at temperatures of 13-18°C. This doesn't mean they can tolerate frost. We water generously especially during flowering and pod setting. The soil should never completely dry out. Drought doesn't suit peas. Peas are climbing plants, so they need to be provided with support. If we grow peas in rows, we stretch string between them. Peas will be satisfied with any support - fence, pergola, wooden slat. We regularly loosen the area around the planting and remove weeds.

• We sow early in spring, preferably at the end of March to early April. We sow shelling peas from April to June. We sow in prepared land in rows 15-30 cm apart, with seeds 4-6 cm from each other. We sow seeds to a depth of 5-7 cm.

• The soil should be permeable, well-worked with a sufficient dose of nutrients. It shouldn't dry out quickly, but at the same time it mustn't remain waterlogged for long.

• Before planting, we fertilise the soil with mature compost or rotted manure.

  We apply phosphate and potash fertilisers as needed. Dosage of 20 kg N, 50 kg P, 120 kg K per hectare. If the soil was properly fertilised before sowing, there is no need to add fertiliser during the growing season.

• Pea weevil - its larvae drill holes in the seeds. Only one larva resides in each seed. The larvae damage the seeds, reducing the yield, quality and germination of peas. Adult beetles eat pollen, petals or stamens of peas. Chemical protection is spraying during flowering, when the first two flowers on the stem have finished flowering and the first pod begins to form. Prevention is appropriate preventive earlier sowing of peas.

  Pea leaf weevil - damages leaves. Leaf blades are regularly eaten from the edges. The larvae of this beetle also damage plants, living in nodular growths on the roots and destroying them. Suitable protection is spraying with Karate or Sumithion preparations and arsenic preparations.

  Wireworms - larvae of click beetles. Plants wilt in rows or patches. Sown seed doesn't germinate at all. Roots are damaged, visible tunnels can be seen. Larvae are cylindrical and hard, shiny, yellowish-brown and about three centimetres in size. Chemical protection is not very suitable. If wireworms appear, we dig the soil regularly and deeper and don't leave it undisturbed even after harvest. Fertilising with nitrogenous lime also helps.

  Another enemy of peas are birds, especially jays and pigeons. In this case we apply scarers, traps or nets.

• Harvest takes place approximately from mid-June to mid-July depending on the earliness of the sown varieties.

  We harvest early varieties from the 12th week after planting.

  We harvest sugar snap peas as soon as the pods contain sweet large peas. It's advisable to simply test one pod to see if they are sufficiently ripe.