Peas
Peas (lat. Pisum) are a genus of climbing herbaceous plants of the Legume family. Peas (lat. Pisum sativum) are widely cultivated in Russia.
Characteristics of culture
Peas are an annual plant with a weak, lodging stem 20-250 cm long and a taproot system. The leaves are bluish-green with a waxy coating, pinnate, ending in long branched tendrils. At the base of each leaf there are two large semi-heart-shaped bracts.
The flowers are single or paired, moth-type, reach 1. 5-3. 5 cm in diameter, are located in the axils of the leaves, and can be white, yellowish, pink, reddish or purple. The perianth is five-membered. The corolla is of an unusual shape, its upper petal is larger than the rest, widened with a bend.
The fruit is a flat, bivalve bean, usually straight, cylindrical, rarely curved, 3-15 cm long, the valves are white or pale green. The seeds are pea-sized, usually spherical or slightly angular in shape. One bean contains 3-10 seeds.
Growing conditions
Peas are a cold-resistant crop, seeds germinate at a temperature of 1-2C, inputs tolerate frosts down t o-4C. Peas are light-loving and have a negative attitude towards drought and shaded areas. It cannot tolerate too high temperatures; the flowers of plants fall off, which has an extremely negative effect on yields.
Peas are not picky about soil nutrition. The best predecessors are cucumbers, tomatoes and cabbage. On poor soils, the plant develops poorly and requires the addition of compost and other fertilizer mixtures. The culture is returned to its previous place no earlier than after 4-5 years. Peas have a relatively short growing season, from sowing to ripening — 65-140 days.
Landing
Peas are planted in late April — early May. The seeds are germinated before planting. Planting depth is 3-6 cm. Seeds are planted in rows, the distance between plants for low and medium-growing varieties should be 12-15 cm, for tall varieties — 22-25 cm. The distance between rows is 45-60 cm.
The area for peas is prepared in advance, in the fall the soil is dug up, compost and nitrophoska are added. In the spring, the ridges are loosened and fed with superphosphate and potassium nitrate.
Care
The main care of the crop consists of regular weeding, loosening and watering. When growing peas on narrow ridges, it is more advisable to mulch the plants with peat. When the plants reach a height of 15-20 cm, supports or a trellis are installed on the ridges. Organic fertilizers should not be applied directly to peas; it is better to limit fertilizing to nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers.
Harvest
Peas do not ripen all at once, which significantly prolongs the use of fresh fruits for food. The fruits located in the lower part of the plant ripen first. Harvesting should be done selectively, every 2-3 days. Regular harvesting promotes the formation of new fruits and their rapid ripening.
Varietal groups
*Shelling peas (lat. Pisum sativum) — fruits with spherical peas and a smooth surface. Used for preparing soups and various dishes.
*Brain peas (lat. Pisum medullare) are fruits with spherical peas, wrinkled when ripe, with a sweet taste. Used for preparing canned food.
*Sugar peas (lat. Pisum axiphium) are fruits with spherical peas, fleshy, sweet, with underdeveloped grains. Used fresh for food. Dried peas are highly wrinkled.
