Permapotes

Peas

Peas: Sowing, planting and harvest calendar

The garden pea, Pisum sativum, is an annual plant in the Fabaceae family, alongside beans and broad beans. In the kitchen, “peas” often refers to the young, tender, sweet seeds used as vegetables. Dry peas are mature seeds with a different texture and culinary role. Shelling peas, mangetout and sugar snap peas belong to the same species, although the parts eaten are different.

The plant has flexible stems and compound leaves, with large stipules at their base. Tendrils allow it to cling to vegetation or a support. Dwarf varieties stay relatively short, while climbing varieties develop much longer stems. The amount of foliage varies with the type. Plant height does not, by itself, determine the flavour of the seeds, and compact plants can also produce full pods.

The flowers, often white but sometimes pink or mauve, develop into pods containing several seeds arranged in a row. The pod is the plant’s botanical fruit. Its length, shape and number of seeds differ between selections. As they develop, the seeds grow larger and their consistency changes. The sweetness and tenderness of garden peas correspond to a different stage from that of peas intended to be eaten dry.

Shelling peas primarily provide the seeds: their pods become too fibrous for the same use. Mangetout, or snow peas, have young, flat pods eaten whole. Sugar snap peas have fleshier pods that remain edible with already developed seeds inside. These three categories describe different uses and textures. Not every pea pod can therefore be eaten in the same way as a mangetout pod.

The terms “smooth-seeded” and “wrinkled-seeded” describe the appearance of dry seeds. Wrinkled types are often associated with more sugar and less starch, without guaranteeing identical flavour across varieties. Some selections also bear coloured pods. Root nodules can contain bacteria that fix atmospheric nitrogen. This association helps feed the pea plant; it does not mean that surrounding crops receive an immediate supply of fertiliser from it.

In a vegetable garden, peas are associated with cooler seasons and bring light foliage, small flowers and clearly visible pods. In the kitchen, the seeds appear in soups, purées, rice dishes and vegetable mixtures. Edible pods offer a crisper texture, particularly in stir-fries. The crop thus provides both the soft texture of tender seeds and the distinct bite of whole pods.

Peas
Peas
Characteristics
  • Lifecycle : Annual
  • Exposure : Full Sun
  • Frost Hardiness : Frost Resistant
  • Cultivation Difficulty : Medium
  • Mature height : 60 cm
Sowing & Planting
  • Greenhouse Growing : Not Required
  • Sowing Depth : 2 cm
  • Plant Spacing : 4 cm
  • Row Spacing : 60 cm
Maintenance
  • Maintenance : Moderate
  • Water Requirements : High
Other characteristics
  • Soil Type : Humus-rich
  • Soil pH Preference : Neutral
  • Pest Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Disease Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Weed Sensitivity : Moderate
  • Pollination : Self-pollinating
  • Propagation : Sowing