Garden pea (shelling pea)
Pisum sativum
Botanical family: Fabaceae
One of the oldest cultivated vegetables (Pisum sativum, Fabaceae), the garden pea has accompanied the agriculture of the Fertile Crescent since the Neolithic. It is grown above all for its fresh shelling seeds, the garden peas: staggered sowings from February to April in rows 40 cm apart, harvest from April to July, pods picked well filled but before hardening. The sugar in the grain converts to starch within a few hours of harvest, hence the incomparable taste of a garden pea picked just before coming to the table.
Sun to partial shade
Light, drained, without fresh manure
Moderate
Hardy when young
Overwinters in your zone
Self-pollinating: the flower is fertilised even before it opens
One plant is enough for a crop
Role in permaculture
A nitrogen-fixing legume: its root nodules host Rhizobium bacteria (R. leguminosarum) that capture nitrogen from the air and enrich the soil. Early and hardy, it occupies the bed from late winter, a season when little else grows, then makes way for summer vegetables. Climbing on stakes or a trellis, it makes use of the vertical layer and does well near carrot, radish, lettuce or spinach. Its nectar-rich flowers attract bees and bumblebees. It is, however, traditionally kept away from alliums (onion, garlic), with no effect on its nodulation demonstrated in the field. A stake or trellis set from sowing, for climbing varieties, doubles productivity per square metre; and leaving roots and haulm in place after harvest returns part of the nitrogen to the soil, while the nitrogen in the seeds leaves with the harvest.
Good companions
Poor companions
Insects attracted or useful
Seasons & availability
Peas: a short spring season, May to July.
Available: May, June, July.
Guidance for the oceanic / temperate climate; it may vary with your region, altitude, exposure and growing method.
Sources
- RHS, « How to Grow Peas » (rhs.org.uk/vegetables/peas/grow-your-own)
- Garden Organic, « Pea » (gardenorganic.org.uk/expert-advice/how-to-grow/growing-guides/vegetables-herbs-guides/how-to-grow-peas)
Nutritional & medicinal properties
For educational purposes. Not a substitute for medical advice. Effects depend on the form, the dose and personal context.
Precautions & contraindications
The fresh garden pea is generally well tolerated. Like the other legumes, it can cause digestive discomfort (fermentation, FODMAPs) in sensitive people; dried peas require soaking and prolonged cooking before eating.
Family behaviour: Legumes
In general, Legumes fix nitrogen from the air in most cases, thanks to the Rhizobium in their root nodules. They mainly enrich the soil for the following crops, as their residues decompose. Ideal in a rotation, before nitrogen-hungry plants such as nightshades.
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Species & varieties
The best-known species and varieties in France.