Peas 'Garden Arrow' (Peas)

As soon as you can work the soil, as early as late March or early April depending on how quickly the soil warms and dries, plant your seeds, but keep in mind that peas planted in cold soil (40F / 5C) will germinate slower. If your soil is slow to drain, try using a raised bed. To increase the harvest period, continue your plantings into May, and vary your choices of peas with different maturity dates. Plant seeds 1 to 2 inches (2 - 4 cm) deep, 1 to 4 (2 - 8 cm) apart in rows 18 inches (45 cm) apart. When soils are cool and wet, shallow planting is best. If soil is dry, plant deeper. To speed the process of planting, make a furrow or trench with a hoe, place seed in the furrow, cover and firm. Do not trim. Chicken wire or brush makes a suitable trellis material. If trellising, increase row spacing to 40 to 6 feet (120 to 180 cm). Don't thin -- just plant initially with correct spacing.

Keep soil moist, but heavy watering during flowering can interfere with pollination. Spinach or radishes are good intercrops with peas, as they are fast-growing and cool-season. After the final harvest, follow with fall-harvested cool-season crops such as broccoli, leeks, potatoes, or squash. Sow fall crops 2 months before first frosts. To avoid persistent hot weather ruining fall crops, plant powdery-mildew-resistant varieties. The use of high-nitrogen fertilizers is ill-advised, since too much nitrogen will result in lush foliage but poor flowering and fruiting. Rhizobia bacteria innoculation may be beneficial if peas have not been grown in the past.

Avoid planting peas in the same place more than once every 4 years. If peas have suffered from root rot in a certain area, plant in a different area.