Site Selection

Plant your garden in a convenient location, where you can check it frequently. Choose an area near an abundant supply of water so you can water as needed easily. Vegetables do best if they receive full sunlight (at least 4 to 6 hours a day). Plant them in a well-exposed area in the garden, where they are not shaded by trees, fences, or walls. Try to plant away from areas that will be watered by lawn sprinklers.

Whenever possible, select a location that is not heavily infested with weeds, especially weeds such as field bindweed, nutsedge, and Bermudagrass that can be hard to control with hand weeding. Also avoid areas that have had previous disease problems.

Try to plant on level ground. Level ground is easier to work on than sloping ground. Vegetables will do well on a wide range of soils; they do best in well-drained soils. If your soil forms a clump when squeezed, then it is too wet; if the soil crumbles easily, it is a good soil to use. Damp soil surfaces encourage snails, slugs, sowbugs, and root diseases; fruit decay and leaf spot diseases may also increase. Soil amendments can make clay and sandy soils easier to work with, and correct soil preparation can improve poor soil.

Adding organic matter (compost, peat moss, manure, sawdust, ground bark) makes clay and sandy soils easier to work with. The soil should be kept at a pH level of 6.0 to 6.5. Lime or gypsum can be added to soils low in calcium.

Soil Recommendation

Sandy soils offer early maturity, but heavier clay soils are more productive; avoid alkaline and saline soils.

Soil Improvement

Any type of soil can be improved with soil amendments. Heavy clay or sandy soils can be improved by adding organic material such as compost, manure, or leaf mold. Texture is an important consideration when choosing an amendment. An amendment that is granular and fine grained is important for container mixes. For gardens, a more coarse-grained amendment can improve drainage and aeration. Work amendments into soil by rototilling, raking, or double-digging.

Soil Preparation

The preparation of your soil is just as important as adding fertilizer and soil amendments. Before working the soil, make sure it is moist but not thoroughly wet.

1. Use a shovel, rototiller, metal bow rake, or all of them together to loosen the top 1 to 2 inches of soil. Rake the area to remove weeds and old crop debris. Be sure to dig out roots.
2. Irrigate the plot deeply to encourage the germination of weed seeds.
3. In a week or two, after a substantial number of weeds have germinated, work the area again to kill the weed seedlings. Be sure to break up the clods in the soil, as seeds planted in cloddy soil will germinate poorly and won't live long because the soil dries too quickly.
4. Form soil into beds if desired, and plant while soil is still wet.

Time to Plant

Peas do best when grown during cool-weather periods. Warm weather shortens the harvest season. The seeds are easy to grow because they will germinate at soil temperatures of 45° F. Most peas will tolerate mild frosts.

In suitable climates, peas can be planted more than once a year for a continuous harvest.

Planting Dates for Peas in California*
North and North Coast Monterey County north	January–April September – October
South Coast San Luis Obispo County south	December–March August
Interior Valleys Sacramento, San Joaquin valleys	September–January
Desert Valleys Imperial and Coachella valleys	January–February September–October

Footnotes

^* Planting dates are only approximate as the climate may vary greatly within the regions denoted. Contact your local UC Master Gardener program and experiment on your own to find more precise dates.

Planting

Direct seeding is the preferred method for growing members of the pea family. They should be planted on raised beds made by adding large amounts of sifted compost or other soil amendments so that a bed is established above the previous level of soil. Peas should be sown so that they are planted 1 to 2 inches deep, in double rows spaced 3 to 6 inches apart, and 2 feet between the next double rows. Peas will tolerate crowding and can be spaced 2 inches apart in the row. For a family of four, a moderate row length would be 30 to 40 feet. Fungicide-treated seed is highly recommended for all types of peas. If peas are grown during the summer months, young seedlings can be protected with 50% shade cloth or 2 layers of floating row cover until they have about 6 leaves. This helps protect them from sunburn as well as seedling pests such as flea beetles, vegetable weevils, leafminers, snails, and slugs. It may also protect them from birds.

Fertilizing

Most vegetables require fertilizer for growth. Organic materials, such as manures and compost, and inorganic materials, such as chemicals, can be used to fertilize plants. Using both types of materials usually provides the best growth. Manures and compost can be used to increase soil fertility. They are usually applied at 1 pound per 4 or 5 square feet. These materials should be worked into the soil several weeks before planting in order to allow it to decompose. Manure that contains straw, sawdust, or similar materials should be applied with a commercial nitrogen fertilizer. Generally, if the soil has been properly amended with compost or manures or other organic materials, the only nutrient needed is nitrogen, if anything. Some commercial nitrogen fertilizers available are urea, ammonium sulfate, calcium nitrate, and ammonium nitrate. Apply these fertilizers at rates of 0.5 to 1 pound of nitrogen per 100 feet of row.

If manure and other organic material has not been used, apply fertilizer that contains both nitrogen and phosphorus before planting. All commercial fertilizers are labeled by the percentages of N-P-K; nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K). Some common mixed fertilizers are 5-10-5, 5-10-10, 8-16-16, and 12-12-12. Apply these fertilizers at rates of 1 - 2 pounds per 100 feet of row. After plants are 3 to 4 inches tall, sidedress nitrogen in narrow bands or furrows and water thoroughly after application, or apply through the drip system. Consider light but frequent applications of nitrogen fertilizer every 3 to 4 weeks. Avoid letting the fertilizer come into contact with the plant stems to avoid burning.

Application Tips

Inorganic fertilizers can be sidedressed. Manures are more difficult to use as a side dressing and must be tilled into the soil.

Banding: Make a small groove 1 or 2 inches deep on both shoulders of the bed, 4 to 6 inches from the plant row and band in the fertilizer. Replace the soil and irrigate.

Broadcasting: Fertilizers can be scattered along the bed shoulders. Work into the soil soon after. This is less efficient than the banding method but will be more practical when the plants are so large that the bed shoulders are inaccessible for banding.

Where sprinklers are used, fertilizer may be scattered on the soil surface between rows before irrigating. Where drip or trickle tubes are used, apply fertilizer on the soil surface near the drip tube.

Watering

Peas are generally irrigated by sprinklers until germination and then irrigated with furrow or drip irrigation. It is important to avoid overwatering because that will promote root rot diseases, especially in heavier soils. Peas are shallow rooted and will generally do better with more light, frequent irrigation.

Harvesting and Storing

Edible pod peas should be harvested over a 2- to 3-month period and should be done before the pods become enlarged. Harvesting should be done frequently –maybe 2 to 3 times a week– to keep the plant bearing. All pods that reach 3 to 4 inches long should be removed. Edible pod peas are best eaten fresh or cooked. They freeze well but canning is not recommended.

Snap peas should be harvested as the pods become plump with peas but before they become too mature. Again, they should be regularly harvested to keep plant bearing. Snap peas are good fresh or cooked, excellent for freezing but not canning.

English peas should be harvested when the pods are well filled but before they become over mature and starchy. One way to tell that they are not over mature is if the pod can be crushed between the fingers without the pod separating into halves. The sugars in the pods continue to convert to starch quickly even after harvest. English peas should be cooked or processed quickly after shelling, by either canning or freezing.

Harvesting Dates for Peas in California*
North and North Coast Monterey County north	Mid February–October
South Coast San Luis Obispo County south	January–May October
Interior Valleys Sacramento, San Joaquin valleys	Late December–February
Desert Valleys Imperial and Coachella valleys	October–January

Footnotes

^* For other areas, contact your local UC Master Gardener program.