Fall Peas, Please!
While Peas are ordinarily thought of as a spring treat, many gardeners prefer fall-harvested Peas because it's said that they're sweeter when just ever-so-gently kissed by frost. Fortunately, we don't have to pick just one growing season. The simple fact is that Peas grow well both before and after summer's high heat. Now is the perfect time to sow your fall crop of Peas!

There are three basic types of Peas:
Snow Peas have broad, flat pods that are eaten whole, before their Peas have time to develop. 
Shelling Peas have long pods that contain seven to 12 sweet, tasty Peas that must be shelled. 
Snap Peas combine the best of both with sweet edible pods that are filled with sweet and juicy Peas. 
Do you know your average first frost date? It's essential for planning fall crops like Peas, Kale, Cabbage, Broccoli and Cauliflower.
Find yours HERE.
Easy Direct-Sow Tips for Fall Peas
For an abundant fall harvest, make sure your Peas have time to mature before short days and cool temperatures slow their growth. The goal is figure out when to direct-sow seed so that the first flowering occurs well before your first fall frost date (find yours HERE). Check the days to maturity listed for each variety. Because young plants grow more slowly in late summer heat, add 10 days to the listed days of maturity.

Soak seeds overnight before planting. Plant them in well-draining soil with a neutral to slightly sweet pH. Peas appreciate good fertility, but once established, they produce their own nitrogen, so they only need fertilizer to get started. Sow the seeds thickly, 1" to 2" apart. For tall Peas that will be climbing netting or a trellis, plant double rows of seeds about 4" apart. Short Peas should be planted in single rows, 24" apart, or in wide rows, 6" apart. Once your Peas are a few inches tall, mulch around the base of the plants to keep the soil cool and moist. Water regularly.
Cues for Harvesting Your Peas
Peas should be picked at least every other day to keep the plants producing as long as possible. If you miss a pod and it is allowed to mature, the plant will stop producing. Here are a few tips:

Snow Peas that are grown for their pods should be picked while the pods are shiny and still flat, before the Peas inside begin to form. The pods may be picked while tiny, but have more flavor and crunch at a slighter larger size.

Shelling Peas should be harvested when the pods have filled out, but before they begin to show the shape of the Peas inside. The pods should be smooth and not wrinkled, and when squeezed they should feel solid but not hard.

Snap Peas may be harvested any time after the pods are formed, but are best picked once the Peas have begun to fill out. Harvest when the pods are still shiny and smooth. Once the pods have dulled, the flavor is poor.
Please Pass the Peas
Pea plants don't produce quite as prolifically in the fall as they do in the spring, but even a moderate crop of Peas is a delightful treat. Half the fun of growing Peas is figuring out creative ways to luxuriate in their emerald beauty and tender sweetness. 

Snow Peas are a must in Asian stir-fry recipes but also fantastic when barely blanched and scantily clad in butter and lemon. Shelling Peas on the front porch is a wonderful way to spend a fall afternoon. Revive this happy tradition at your house! The Peas are wonderful fresh or dried in soups and stews. Snap Peas are wonderful munched fresh, as soon as they're picked. They're also scrumptious in pasta primavera recipes.

Whatever way you like to eat your Peas~right off the vine, sautéed in butter, seared in a stir-fry or tossed in a salad~freshly picked fall Peas are one of those deliciously decadent pleasures that can only be experienced when you grow them yourself.
A Variety of Peas for Fall Planting
Remember, because young Pea plants grow more slowly in late summer heat, add 10 days to the listed days of maturity to decide when to sow your fall Peas.
Shelling Pea:
68 days + 10. This French pea grows 3" to 4" pods on 2' vines that produce the highest yield when trellised. Its Peas are about half the size of a regular shelling Pea, and twice as delicious. (OP.)
Snap Pea:
70 days + 10. This brilliant new Snap Pea features purple flowers and deep bluish-purple pods that are sweetest when picked before they fatten to their maximum size. (OP.) 
Snow Pea:
59 days + 10. Disease-resistant Avalanche produces mountains of flat, shiny green pods that are about 5 1/4" long, crisp and sweet. Self-supporting, its robust vines can stretch to 30" tall. (OP.)
Snow Pea:
70 days + 10. This Snow Pea will turn heads, from the pink and purple bi-colored flowers to the high yield of sweet purple pods on 3' to 4' vines. Harvest small for the sweetest flavor. (OP.)
Shelling Pea:
55-65 days + 10. A long-famous heirloom from the turn of the 19th century, this shelling pea yields plump, 4-inch pods of up to ten hefty, super sweet peas each, making shelling a bowlful a breeze. (OP.)
Snap Pea:
62-66 days + 10. These deliciously sweet and crisp, 3"- to 4"-long pods are well-filled, many borne doubly at the nodes on disease-resistant vines to five feet tall or more. (OP.)
Snap Pea:
70 days + 10. Bred in the Pacific Northwest, Opal Creek bears white flowers and slender, sweet, pale yellow pods on vines up to 6' tall. Cool weather preserves its sunny color. (OP.)
Snow Pea:
30 days + 10. For almost instant gratification, sow Little SnowPea White and harvest sweet, crunchy pods just 30 days later! This indeterminate, 40"-tall vine is best trained on a trellis. (OP.)
Shelling Pea:
80-85 days + 10. Decorative Blauschokker grows up to 6' tall with red and violet flowers, followed by blue-purple pods filled with brown-gray Peas used in soups or side dishes. (OP.)
Shelling Pea:
64-72 days + 10. Wando is a great heat-tolerant heirloom Pea for warmer climates and late sowings. But it's cold-tolerant, too, making it a great all-season Pea. It grows up to 30" tall on a trellis. (OP.)
Snap Pea:
52-62 days + 10. Easy-to-grow Sugar Ann has self-supporting vines that grow up to just 2' tall with 2 1/2"-thick crunchy sweet pods. Ready to pick at least a week earlier than Super Sugar. (OP.)
Snow Pea:
60-70 days + 10. This unique, yellow, edible pod Pea has tasty, flat pods that are sweet and crunchy. Harvest them while small and slim. The 6' tall vines have two-toned purple flowers. (OP.)
Shelling Pea:
New! 70-75 days + 10. An 1881 English heirloom, Tall Telephone is an incredibly productive indeterminate Pea that grows up to 6’ tall and produces oodles of huge 4” to 5” pods filled with 6 to 9 sweet, flavorful peas over a long period. (OP.)
Mixture:
65-70 days + 10. If you only choose one packet of Snap Pea seeds, make it this blend of Sugar Magnolia Purple Snap Pea, Opal Creek Yellow Snap Pea and green Sugar Snap Pea. Imagine the colorful crudité platters! (OP.)
Collection:
60-70 days + 10. You'll adore our 10%-off Four Peas in a Pod Collection, featuring all three types of peas for fall planting: Iona Petit Pois, Dakota Shelling Peas, Avalanche Snow Peas and Sugar Ann Snap Pea. (OP.)
Pea Shoots are Fresh, Easy and Fun!
Perhaps you've enjoyed (and even grown your own) Alfalfa Sprouts on fresh sandwiches or Mung Bean Sprouts in stir fries, but have you ever tasted Pea Shoots

Unlike most sprouts that are grown in jars or special sprouting containers, Pea Shoots are grown in shallow flats of soil in bright sunlight, indoors or outside. When the stems are 4 to 10 inches tall with small leaves and tendrils, munch on them raw, toss them into salads, lightly saute them or make Pea Shoot Pesto for a wonderfully fresh, sweet and delicate Pea flavor!  
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