Instructions for beginner gardeners: how to plant peas correctly to get a rich harvest

Peas are self-pollinating annuals. The culture belongs to the legume family. They began to cultivate it long before the appearance of the first civilizations in South-West Asia. Consider what varieties of this plant are, when and how to plant peas, how to care, when to harvest.

Types and varieties of peas

It is customary to distinguish sugar varieties that can to eat together with the valves, since they do not have a hard parchment layer, and peeling, whose valves are inedible, but the fruits are distinguished by excellent taste.

Most famous such varietieslike Adagumsky, Ambrosia, Vera, Sphere, Era and others.

Landing dates

Peas refers to cold-resistant crops. It can withstand frosts down to minus 6 degrees. Therefore, you can sow it early, but it is not recommended to do this until April 20. Early ripening varieties can be planted until early July.

How to plant peas correctly

Peas are best planted where crops such as potatoes, cucumbers, pumpkin or cabbage were grown last season. If you applied phosphorus or potash fertilizers under these vegetables, this is even better. The fruits will be more tender. With the same plants, you can plant peas in the same bed.

How to plant peas in open ground correctly? It is not recommended to apply fertilizers immediately before planting, as this stimulates the growth of the plant's tops, and there will be few fruits. For best results, place regular compost, some urea and boric acid (0.5 teaspoon per square meter) into the furrow.

Some summer residents warm up the seeds in a thermos before planting. To do this, warm water (about 45 degrees) is poured into a thermos and peas are poured there for several hours. While there, the seeds become saturated with moisture and swell. After that, they need to be taken out and dried. Peas processed in this way will sprout much earlier.

Many are interested in whether it is possible to plant peas before winter? For these purposes, special varieties were bred, which yield a harvest in the second half of June. But they are suitable for the southern regions of our country. In northern latitudes, sprouts can die due to frost.

The culture is very fond of light, so plant it in sunny areas where there is no wind. You can sow both dry and germinated seeds. To protect the seeds from pests, before planting, you can immerse them in hot water (+35 degrees), in which boric acid is diluted (about 2 g of acid per 10 liters of water), for 5 minutes.

For a good harvest, the crop must be planted correctly. To sow peas, you need to make furrows about 20 cm wide. The distance between the rows should be about 50 cm. Put compost in the furrows. The distance between the seeds is about 5 cm.The depth of planting seeds on clay soil is about 5 cm, in sandy soil - 2-3 cm.

Seedlings will appear in one to two weeks.

Pea care

It is quite easy to care for peas. All you need is to cover the seedlings from birds, weed, water and harvest in time.

Birds pose a great danger to young seedlings. Therefore, it is better to cover the beds. Fishing nets are best suited for this.

Peas do not tolerate hot weather very well, therefore, during such periods, they need to be watered abundantly - about 10 liters per 1 sq.m. It is recommended to loosen the soil immediately after watering.

Peas need support for proper growth. You can pull a net with large cells on the pegs, or simply tie the twine horizontally.

Harvesting and storage

About two months after sowing, the plant begins to bloom. One month after flowering, you can start harvesting.Since this is a multi-harvest crop, the fruiting period can last for one and a half months. The fruits are usually removed every 2-3 days.

The first to ripen are the pods growing in the lower part of the bush. Under favorable conditions, up to 4 kg of harvest can be harvested from one square meter of pea beds.

Freshly picked green peas cannot be stored for a long time. To preserve peas, they are frozen, canned, or oven dried with added sugar.

Dried peas can be stored for several years. However, it is not recommended to store it in paper, cloth or plastic bags, as pests can easily get there. The best storage option is in closed glass jars.

Conclusion

Peas are a very healthy and unpretentious crop. Growing it in the garden will not be difficult even for novice gardeners.

If done correctly, it will delight you with a bountiful and tasty harvest. But even after that he is able to do a good service. Place the tops of the peas in a compost pit and use them as fertilizer the next year. This will increase the fertility of the soil and improve its structure.