Peas, are seeds that are enclosed in the pods of the pea. This is part of the family of legumes such as green beans, making them highly nutritious and rich in vitamins A and C, lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates. In the market, we can find a large number of peas, but these do not have the same flavor and properties of peas that can be grown at home. Read on to learn how to plant peas.
How and when should peas be planted?
There are various varieties of peas. Early peas should be planted between February and August, middle peas between May and June; and the late peas in July. The first thing you should do is water the soil before planting peas. If you do it through seeds, you will have to make a small furrow and place the seeds there; then cover them with 3 or 4 cm of soil. The seeds will germinate 10 days after being sown.
If you buy pea seedlings, you can transplant them and that’s it. Remember to leave approximately 15 cm between plants and plants where you are going to plant peas. Keep in mind that it can reach 1 m high, so you will need some type of support to guide the crop.
If you are going to plant peas in a pot, you will have to opt for a 19 liter or more. Remember to cover the substrate with a layer of straw to make an organic mulch and thus reduce the evaporation of the water present in the potting soil and, thus, reduce the frequency of watering and save water.
Soil, irrigation, temperature, and harvest
Peas do very well in any type of soil, although they prefer those with a pH between 5.5 and 6.8. Loves fresh, fluffy, and very well-drained soils. On the other hand, they do not require large contributions of fertilizers because they fix atmospheric nitrogen.
As for watering, you should pay attention that the soil where you have planted the peas is always moist, but not waterlogged. This will prevent rot and parasitic causes and ensure proper root development.
Peas grow very well around 23 ° C, although they are also capable of growing at higher temperatures. In the event that frosts have been forecast, it is best to cover the plants, since they usually tolerate temperatures below 7 ° C, but their pods and flowers will not.
The harvest of the peas will depend on the planting season. This means that if you have sown the peas in the fall, they will be ready to be harvested in the spring and, if you planted them in the winter, they will be harvested in the summer.
Parasitic causes
- Green aphid makes plants vulnerable and sensitive since it affects them completely. Combat it with potassium soap if it is a mild pest, but if it is a heavy pest, you will need to clean it first with potassium soap and then with neem oil.
- Sitona: This beetle feeds on the leaves of the pea plant as an adult, while the larvae affect the root nodules. It is best to do early sowing to prevent both the peas and the pest from overlapping.
- Pea Moth: It is a dark butterfly that lays eggs on the flowers of the pea. The problem is that the caterpillars that hatch from the eggs feed on the grains. Combat them with neem oil and bacillus thuringiensis.
- The pea plant can also be attacked by powdery mildew, anthracnose, mildew and pea trip
