How to plant peas in a raised bed: easy gardening hacks

Full of vitamins and minerals, green peas are always wanted guests in the kitchen gardens. However, what about planting peas in raised beds? Is it possible to perform? What are the benefits of growing peas in a raised bed?

Let’s get started and learn more about how to plant peas in a raised bed!

How to plant peas in a raised bed?

The good news is that growing peas is easy.

Growing peas in a raised bed are the best choice for those who live in regions with long and wet springs.

This method is quite easy to organize and maintain, so you will always have access to fresh peas growing in your kitchen garden.

Let’s find out more about the art of growing peas in raised beds!

#1. Pea varieties

Let’s find out more about the most popular pea varieties that you can grow in raised beds!

Garden peas are a common pea variety with edible round seeds. However, their pods can’t be consumed. Garden Pea has a lot of cultivars such as Spring Peas, Garden Sweet, Survivor Peas, Little Marvel, and many others.

“Green Arrow” is a variety of garden peas that gives high-yield crops and is resistant to common pea diseases. It suits perfectly for those who prefer mid-season plant varieties.

Snow peas are also known as Chinese peas. The main feature of this pea variety is edible pods that can be consumed whole. Pick their pods regularly to get much of their sweet taste.

“Snowbird” is a great variety of sweet snow peas. An incredible benefit of this pea plant is the high resistance to the fusarium wilt.

“Sugar Ann” variety is easy to recognize by its short vines that grow compactly. For those who look for the early pea variety, these peas are one of the best bets.

“Sugar Snap” peas also belong to the pea varieties that you can eat whole. Besides, Sugar Snap peas are one of the early varieties that are insanely easy to grow in your garden. You can recognize the Sugar Snap pea variety by its cylindrical shape.

#2. Materials and tools

To grow peas in a raised bed, you need the right type of soil. Peas prefer growing in either neutral or slightly acidic soils, so test the pH level before filling your garden bed. Too acidic soils can affect germination.

Since peas are climbing plants, you have to provide good support for them. Get a trellis or make it by yourself from suitable materials. Unless your peas grow with support, they start climbing on any other plants nearby. Besides, a trellis is a good way to provide enough air circulation.

#3. Planting time

To get a full pea harvest, the right planting time is crucial. Early spring is the exact planting time for peas. Start planting before the temperature starts rising, and you will get the best harvest. Even young plants are light frost tolerant, so a good idea is to sow before the last predicted frost date.

For those who live in warmer areas, it is possible to grow one more set of peas in the early fall.

As you decide the exact planting date, soak the pea seeds overnight the day before sowing them. Let them absorb enough moisture, and the next day you can proceed with all the following tips.

#4. Planting steps

Now, take your soaked pea seeds and start planting peas.

Before you start the planting process, choose the perfect spot for your raised beds! Remember that peas grow best in full sun or at least in partial shade, so you need to find the appropriate place to set your raised beds up.

Step #1: Prepare a raised garden bed. Fill it with amending soil as tall as you need. If you take a garden bed 4 inches high, that is okay to half-fill it with soil. Level and smooth the soil in your garden bed to get started with the next step.

Step #2: Install the trellises in your raised beds. On each side of it, make mounded rows for sowing seeds.

Step #3: Sow peas densely in the prepared rows. When growing, they will already have great support. Add a thin layer of soil to cover the seeds.

It is crucial for peas to sow seeds densely, as the growing pea plants will create shade and cool the crop down. Pea plants don’t need thinning as they make their best when growing in dense rows.

As a result, you will have more yield of your pea crop.

Be generous and sow as much as possible! Since one pea plant can’t provide too many pea pods, you need to plant more to have a good crop.

Step #4: After germination, young pea plants are tolerant to cool temperatures and damp weather. Don’t be afraid that your crop can die! It’s better to sow earlier and get an early crop than have it dead because of the summer heat.

Step #5: Provide enough watering to keep the young peas healthy. The optimal amount of water is 1 inch per week. In hotter weather, water more often so as not to let your crop dry.

#5. Care and support

Growing peas requires some certain tips to follow:

• Peas prefer to grow in full sun. At least, these plants need no less than 6 or 8 sunlight hours a day. You can also grow peas in partial sunlight. However, the less sunlight your pea crop gets, the slower it grows.
• To avoid overheating, remember about dense sowing so that peas create natural protection and can cool themselves down.
• Always provide enough drainage to prevent root rot and the development of fungal diseases.
• Don’t over-dry the soil as it will affect the pod production.
• Avoid using too much nitrogen fertilizers as you can encourage foliage growth instead of flowering and producing pods.

#6. Harvesting

The early spring planting is crucial as you need to harvest before the summer heat arrives. Pea plants produce pods until the summer heat puts an end to this process.

How to know when you can harvest your peas? Take a closer look at the pea pods. Bright green color and a glossy surface are the right sizes that it is high time to harvest your peas.

In case the pods have already turned yellowish or dull green, the harvesting time is already missed.

Be careful when harvesting the pods so as not to tear or damage them. If you are going to store peas for later, it is crucial to keep them in tip-top condition.

#7. Treatment

While growing, peas are prone to suffer from plant infections or get damaged by pests.

To prevent the disease from spreading, always work with clean tools when harvesting peas. Don’t forget to get rid of infected plants as soon as you notice them, since they bring a potential danger to the whole crop.

Always repel the pea pests from your crop, such as pew weevils and aphids. Inspect your crop regularly to prevent serious pest infestation.

Make use of companion plants that are helpful in aphid prevention. These are catnip, marigolds, and other plants that work as natural aphid repellents.

There is also a risk of getting typical pea diseases, such as fusarium wilt, root rot, pea mosaic virus, and others. To avoid this, keep the right level of moisture to avoid both overwatering and overdrying.

FAQ

Final thoughts

Growing peas is not a science. Just follow all the tips correctly to get the best pea crop. We hope that our simple guide is helpful to you!