| Garden or English Peas Pisum sativum var sativum
English or garden peas are frost hardy, thrive and like to be planted in cool weather (55 to 60°F) They can become bitter with heat. Therefore, plant outdoors in full sun, in early spring for an early summer harvest or mid to late summer for a fall harvest. Plant the seeds 1˝ inches deep spacing them at a rate of one to two seeds every two inches. Space the rows 2˝ feet apart.
Since it is common to prune dormant trees about the same time that you plant peas in the spring, it is a tradition to use branches, stuck into the ground along your pea row, as support for climbing peas. You can also use other items for support - lattice, netting, twine, field fencing - but "pea brush" is by far the simplest.
As a rule, smooth seeded varieties are more starchy and used for soups while wrinkled seeded varieties are sweeter and generally eaten fresh.
Each packet contains one ounce or approximately 90 to 125 seeds. (One ounce will plant about a 10-foot row.)
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