Scientific Name: Pisum Sativum
Peas Varieties
1.Green peas - The classic, podded types. Pods are picked off the vine and slit open with your finger to remove the tasty little green seeds inside.
1.Green peas - The classic, podded types. Pods are picked off the vine and slit open with your finger to remove the tasty little green seeds inside.
2.Snap peas - Developed from green peas and have more recently become popular. The pod is tender, and you can eat it whole – seeds and all. They’re delicious raw, steamed or stir-fried.
3.Snow peas - The flat pea pods you most often toss into a stir-fry.
4.Shell peas.
5.Soup peas - produce hard, starch-filled seeds for drying inside inedible pods. Seed size and color vary with variety.
 |
| Pea pods with seeds |
-Peas grown close together shade out weeds, keep the soil cool, increase yields, and make the most efficient use of garden space.
-Broadcast the seed in the row, allowing the seeds to fall as they may, don't thin the pea plants when they germinate.
-Don't overfertilize - Peas are light feeders and don't generally require fertilizer. In fact, too much nitrogen will make the plants develop lush foliage at the expense of pod production and be more susceptible to frost damage.
-Watering - Water deeply once a week. Never allow the soil to dry out totally or you'll drastically reduce pea production. The critical time for watering is when the plants are blossoming and producing pods. When pods are maturing in hot weather, water daily if needed to maintain pod quality.
-Raised Beds - To get peas in the ground and germinating as early as possible in the spring, plant them in raised beds.
-The raised beds warm up faster than the surrounding ground.
-Legume inoculant - Like other members of the legume family, peas have a symbiotic relationship with Rhizobia bacteria that colonize the roots of the plants and help them 'fix' nitrogen in the soil.
-After soaking the seeds overnight in lukewarm water, drain them and sprinkle an inoculant over them just before planting. This will boost the pea plants and produce higher yields.
-The raised beds warm up faster than the surrounding ground.
-Legume inoculant - Like other members of the legume family, peas have a symbiotic relationship with Rhizobia bacteria that colonize the roots of the plants and help them 'fix' nitrogen in the soil.
-After soaking the seeds overnight in lukewarm water, drain them and sprinkle an inoculant over them just before planting. This will boost the pea plants and produce higher yields.
-Mulch - Because peas' feeder roots run shallow, mulch is essential to keep the soil around the roots moist and cool. When the seedlings are two inches tall, apply a mulch of clean straw, chopped leaves, or compost. As the pea plants mature, you can add more mulch to keep them happy.
-Support - All peas, even the dwarf varieties, grow best with support. Peas are productive and less susceptible to rot if given some support or, for taller varieties, planted along a fence or trellis. Interlace untreated twine between posts to act as a trellis.
Conditions favoring peas farming
-Yields best in full sun.
-Prefers well-drained soil, average fertility, high in organic matter with pH 6.0 to 7.0.
-Widely adapted, but prefers cool, damp weather.
-Good soil structure is important.
-Avoid compacting soil by working it when it’s still too wet.
-Yields best in full sun.
-Prefers well-drained soil, average fertility, high in organic matter with pH 6.0 to 7.0.
-Widely adapted, but prefers cool, damp weather.
-Good soil structure is important.
-Avoid compacting soil by working it when it’s still too wet.
Pea Pests and diseases and control tips
1.Aphids - Are the major pests for peas; luckily, they are easily controlled. Simply spray the plants with cold water to knock the bugs to the ground. If a heavy infestation occurs, resort to an insecticidal soap spray, rotenone, or pyrethrum.
-Aphids can spread mosaic virus if you haven't planted disease-resistant pea varieties, so be sure to get them under control as soon as you notice them.
1.Aphids - Are the major pests for peas; luckily, they are easily controlled. Simply spray the plants with cold water to knock the bugs to the ground. If a heavy infestation occurs, resort to an insecticidal soap spray, rotenone, or pyrethrum.
-Aphids can spread mosaic virus if you haven't planted disease-resistant pea varieties, so be sure to get them under control as soon as you notice them.
2.Powdery mildew - Is the most common disease of peas, usually striking as the weather warms.
3.pea enation mosaic virus.
4.Fusarium wilt.
5.Pea leaf roll virus.
6.Root rot.
Control
1.Plant disease-resistant pea varieties, especially if any particular diseases are a problem in your area.
1.Plant disease-resistant pea varieties, especially if any particular diseases are a problem in your area.
2.Practice crop rotation to prevent root rot. To make sure peas don't suffer from soil-borne diseases, make sure not to plant peas or other legumes in the same bed more than once in every three years.
Harvesting
-To determine when to pick shell peas, check the pods by eye and feel.
-If the pod is round, has a nice sheen, and is bright green, it's ready.
-If the seeds have made ridges on the pod and the pod is a dull green, it's past its prime.
-You can pick snap and snow snap peas at any time, but they're tastiest when the pods still have some play around the peas when you squeeze the pods.
-To determine when to pick shell peas, check the pods by eye and feel.
-If the pod is round, has a nice sheen, and is bright green, it's ready.
-If the seeds have made ridges on the pod and the pod is a dull green, it's past its prime.
-You can pick snap and snow snap peas at any time, but they're tastiest when the pods still have some play around the peas when you squeeze the pods.
Storing seeds
-Save pea seeds by allowing the pods to ripen on the plants until they’re dry and starting to turn brown, with the seeds rattling inside.
-This may be as long as a month after you would normally harvest the peas or beans to eat.
-Strip the pods from the plants and spread them out to dry indoors.
-They should dry at least two weeks before shelling, or you can leave the seeds in the pods until planting time.
-Save pea seeds by allowing the pods to ripen on the plants until they’re dry and starting to turn brown, with the seeds rattling inside.
-This may be as long as a month after you would normally harvest the peas or beans to eat.
-Strip the pods from the plants and spread them out to dry indoors.
-They should dry at least two weeks before shelling, or you can leave the seeds in the pods until planting time.
Like our Facebook page: Greenfarm Organics
Follow us on Twitter: @nicokirui1
No comments:
Post a Comment