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Peas, picked fresh from the garden, are a refreshing, added treat for any dinner table. Garden peas, also known as snap peas, sugar peas, snow peas, or English peas, can have either smooth or wrinkled skin, with the wrinkled skinned ones having a sweet taste, and the smooth skinned varieties containing more starch. Peas are a cool-weather vegetable that can withstand heavy frosts. The southern pea or cowpea tolerates warm weather and is best suited for southern areas, thus its name.
Planting
Peas planted early in the season tend to have higher yields due to the cooler, moisture weather at that time. They should be sown when the temperature is 45 degrees Fahrenheit or higher and when the soil is dry enough to work without clumping or sticking to garden tools.
Peas are planted one to one and one-half inch deep and one inch apart in single or double rows, a gardener’s preference. For single rows, space them one and one-half inch to two inches apart, and eight to ten inches apart for double rows.
Caring for Your Peas
Since young, emerging peas can be easily damaged, shallow, gentle hoeing should be exercised in the beginning. Also, take care not to pull up seedlings when pulling weeds. Tall pea varieties can be trained to climb poles or fences, which make their pods easier to pick. Mulching around plants will help to keep soil cool, and moisture. A crop of fall peas can be started as early as July and harvested in September or October. To help prevent disease and have a higher yield, it is best to plant them in a different location than the spring peas.
Harvesting
Pea pods are ready for harvesting when they are round and firm, but not hard. When it gets close to harvest time, check the peas every day to determine when the peas are ripe for picking. Peas are at their best quality when slightly immature and the pods on the bottom of the plant are ready earlier than the ones on the top. Like sweet corn, peas should be cooked as soon as they are picked, as their flavor and nutrients soon dwindle. Pea harvests usually last approximately three weeks.
Problems
Yellowing and wilting of leaves or stunting of the plant may be indications of Fusarium wilt or root rot disease. Growing disease resistant varieties as well as planting in well-drained, organic matter, are just a few ways to avoid diseases that can affect pea crops.
Uses
Peas are good raw or cooked. They can be eaten alone or in salads, stews, soups, and casseroles. With some varieties of peas, even the pods are edible.
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Author Bio Box: Agnes Farside
 Please view some of my other articles at:
http://www.associatedcontent.com/user/110407/agnes_farside.html
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