DIY Network

Warm-Weather or Cool-Weather? Warm-Weather or Cool-Weather? From "Fresh from the Garden" episode DFFG-106

Peas come in more shapes and colors than most people realize and there are varieties that can grow in almost any soil type. Along with beans, they're a member of the legume family. In this episode of Fresh from the Garden, learn the specific distinctions between the many varieties, as well as the growing conditions that each of them need to thrive!

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	English peas, or garden peas, are available canned, frozen or dried -- but those aren't nearly as good as freshly picked ones.
	Sugar peas have characteristic flat pods. They are harvested young, while the pods are tender enough to be eaten.
	There are many varieties of Southern pea, all of them delicious!
	Peas in general are small 1'-2' tall plants that are perfect for a small garden, but there are taller types that get 4'-5' high.
	The first step in getting peas started is to build a trellis.
	Place two upright boards in the ground, 6' apart...
	Add a horizontal 2x4...
	Use garden twine to create netting on the trellis.

Latin name: Pisum Sativum var.macrocarpon
Family: Leguminosae (Peas and Beans)

• English Peas, or garden peas, are the type you might picture first when you hear the word pea. You can find them canned, frozen or dried in your supermarket, but those aren't nearly as good as freshly picked. Peas are naturally very sweet and once you pick them, they begin converting their sugar to starch so they taste best right from the garden. The flower is fragrant and white each flower will become one pod. This type of pea is opened at harvest and the round fruit inside is the part that's eaten, not the pod itself.

• Cool weather peas come in several different forms. Peas in general are small 1-2 foot tall plants that are perfect for a small garden, but there are taller types that get 4-5 feet high. Shorter plants can support themselves or can be grown over a small stake. The taller variety grows best on a trellis or wooden tee-pee. Peas are categorized by the time they are planted. Cool weather varieties can be planted in all areas in early spring and in some areas late summer. They grow best when the temperature stays below 70 degrees.

  Peas will stop producing pods when they get too hot, but will start producing again when it cools down. That's why peas are considered a cool-weather crop.

• Sugar peas are yet another type of pea. They look different from other types because they have flat pods. You can see through the pods if you hold them up to a light. The peas inside the pod stay small and tender. Sugar peas are used in cooking because of their texture, but they burn and brown quickly because of their high sugar content.

• Sugar peas also called snap peas are great tasting and healthy vegetables you can grow in your garden. They're harvested when they're immature so you can eat the pod. They're less fibrous than English peas and they snap like green beans. Some varieties have a string along the seam that needs to be removed before you can cook it.

• Southern peas, though they're called peas, are really more like a bean because they like warmer weather. These are often also known as field peas or cowpeas, and include black-eyed peas, crowder peas, purple-hull peas and lady peas. These varieties thrive during the summer and the thick hull they produce protects the fruit inside from the heat. Southern peas are not frost-tolerant so there's only a small window to grow them in cold climates.

• One of the most commonly known southern peas is the black-eyed pea. Many people believe that these peas can bring good luck if eaten on New Year's Day. A good source of protein, black-eyed peas are sold frozen, canned, dried and fresh. But they're easy to grow in the garden.

• The soil in your garden should have lots of amendments. Southern peas really don't need a lot of fertilizer, in fact, too much fertilizer will make them overgrown and they won't produce any peas. The first step in getting peas started is to build a trellis. You can build a trellis for southern peas even though they grow mostly in bush form. There's been recent research that shows peas grow more fruit if they're supported. Results show a 30-60% higher yield, or amount of fruit grown, on trellised plants.

• A trellis doesn't have to be expensive or fancy, just sturdy and easy to use. You can build a simple trellis out of recycled materials. To build a pea trellis, use 3 recycled 2x4's. The first step is to make an angle cut on the ends of 2 of the boards. To do this, use a circular or hand saw to cut off the square edges, leaving a point at the bottom. Position the first board at one end of the bed, placing it in the center of the bed. Place the other board 6 feet away and hammer it in with a sledgehammer. The board should go 2-3 feet into the ground. Next hammer the other board in place. If your dirt is very hard, you can dig a 2-3 foot deep hole, place the board in the hole and back-fill it with dirt to secure the board.

  Note: Always wear safety glasses and gloves when using tools in the garden.

• Once both of your support boards are in place nail the third 2x4 across the top of the 2 boards set in the ground. Use galvanized 3-inch nails to hold them securely in place. With our outer frame complete, begin assembling the string supports. Nail 1.5 inch galvanized flathead roofing nails along one side of each of the three boards. Space the nails approximately 10 inches apart. Nail them so that about ¼ of an inch of the nail sticks out, leaving space behind the head to attach the string.

• Use a ball of garden twine to create netting on the trellis. Begin at the bottom nail and tie off one end of the string. Pull the string across to the second board and loop it around the corresponding nail. Go directly up to the next nail, loop the string around it and then pulled it back to the first board. Continue looping and pulling the string until you lace it up the entire span of the trellis. Tie the string securely to the last nail.

• The final step is to install the vertical trellis strings. Start at the top by attaching the string to a nail. Drop the string straight down. Tie it to a horizontal string with a single knot each time the strings cross. At the bottom horizontal string tie off the string and then cut it off.

• Complete the trellis by repeating this process for all of the vertical strings. Work your way across the trellis and a grid pattern will take shape. Make sure each string is secure along the bottom horizontal line.