Tips on the Best Time to Plant Your Peas
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When to plant garden peas? "Plant peas as soon as the ground can be worked" is a popular saying in the gardening world. Unfortunately, in my garden, that means mid- to late March! However, our fortunate southern friends can often start planting in January and February. Wherever you live, see my pea-planting tips.
When to Plant Peas
Garden peas (Pisum sativum L.) are cool-season crops that can not stand the heat and humidity of summer, but they CAN withstand frosts and light freezes. For that reason, we all plant the seeds very early in the winter/spring, as soon as the ground can be worked.
For a general sense of when to plant peas, check the Almanac's Planting Calendar, based on your zip code.
However, a good rule of thumb is: Wherever you live, plant peas as soon as you can stick your finger into that rich, dark brown, crumbly soil, you are generally ready to plant.
The garden's temperature is also important. Two inches down it was 52 degrees. (I love my soil thermometer!)
Peas are the first crop that I plant from seed outside and they will germinate in soil as cold as 40 degrees. Early planting makes for tender peas and since we use raised beds I have never had them rot, even in a wet year.
I was raised with the "never plant anything before Memorial Day" rule in New England so I always had terrible peas—parse and tough.
That's why that age-old advice that you could plant peas "as soon as the ground can be worked" really does ring true. Even if a foot of snow fell on them after planting—and it usually did—and they would be fine.
Poor Man's Fertilizer
"Poor man's fertilizer" is what my neighbor called it. Really? There is actually some truth to this bit of gardening lore. The falling snow absorbs ammonia from the air which breaks down as the sun melts the snow, releasing a small amount of nitric acid into the soil. French peasants used to believe that a spring snowfall was as beneficial as a coating of manure. Colonial farmers took it one step farther, plowing a spring snowfall under.
Like all legumes, peas can take nitrogen directly from the air with the help of nitrogen-fixing soil bacteria. Instead of fertilizing, try moistening the seeds and rolling them in a powdered legume inoculant before planting to give these helpful bacteria a helping hand.
I soak my seeds overnight to plump them up and give them head start toward germination.
Whatever variety you choose to plant, edible-podded or traditional English shelling peas, plant them to mature before really hot weather sets in if you want sweet tender peas.
Plant in full sun to ensure maximum flavor and sugar content. Once the plants are well-established, hilling up the soil at the base of the plants or using a thick layer of mulch will help to keep the roots cool and prolong the harvest.
Needless to say, a few days after I planted my peas a half inch of poor man's fertilizer fell! Got your peas in yet?
See the Almanac's Pea Growing Guide for information on how to plant peas, care for peas, and harvest peas!
Robin Sweetser
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We live on the north shore of Long Island (NY) and are technically in Zone 7. I've tried planting peas early and they all rot. I don't put mine in until after the danger of frost. No sense wasting seeds year after year.
How deep are these recommended soil temperatures for? I guess the depth at which the seed is planted? And is it the soil temperature at night or during the day?
It's still pretty cold here in Southern Ontario. Last night the ground froze to a depth of about 3/4 inch but it thawed in the afternoon with temps reaching the high 30s. Temps are supposed to drop to the low-mid 20s tonight though so I expect the upper layer of soil will freeze again.
After that, the forecast calls for milder weather, around 50F during the day and 35-40F at night, but we'll probably be getting several light freezes and maybe one or two severe (ex 25F) freezes. There wouldn't be any snow to insulate as snow is pretty rare here in April, the cold snaps are usually precipitation free.
I just learned that the most accurate way to take your soil's temperature is to take a reading every day at 9 AM for a week and then average the results. Insert your thermometer 2 inches deep in the soil since those top 2 inches are the area where most seeds will be planted. Like in your garden, the temps in mine fluctuate widely. It can be 60 one day and frozen solid the next depending on the weather. Taking the temp in the afternoon, after the soil has warmed up in the sun, doesn't give an accurate picture. Peas germinate best when the soil is at 40 degrees or above. I still follow Mother Nature's lead and wait until the forsythia and crocus bloom to plant my peas. They are a good indicator of when the weather has settled enough to plant cool weather crops.
Several years ago I started to plant bush peas, I can't find them anymore, does anyone plant this type of pea?
a really fine informative article with loads of good advice. Peas have always been a problem for me. At 86 we're never too old to learn new tricks. Thanks for sharing.
I plant my lettuce (first crop of many!) on St Patrick's Day for the same reasons outlined in this article. I am eating my first salad while others are planting on Memorial Day!
