"Peas" Be My Friend: The Ease of Growing Peas

The ease of growing peas

While you may not have liked those mushy green peas they served at school as a kid, it’s time you expanded your horizons! There are numerous pea varieties out there that are easy to grow in the EarthBox® gardening system and insanely good for your health. Let’s start with the basic health benefits:

These mean, green powerhouses are chock full of nutrients! One cup of peas packs less than 100 calories but contains 7 grams of fiber and 8 grams of protein. At that rate, you can ditch that protein powder and just snack on peas! Peas are very high in Vitamin C — one cup contains 96% of your daily value. Peas are a fantastic weight loss food because they’re very filling and don’t contain much sugar.

Sold on the idea of growing some peas this season? Here are the different varieties you can try.

5 Pea Varieties to Try in Your EarthBox® Garden

ENGLISH PEAS

One great reason to grow English peas: they're extremely easy to maintain in your garden! Plant them a little early or late, no matter where you live. They’re very hardy and cold-tolerant, and can survive frosts.

English pea varieties are your typical round green peas. Depending on the variety you purchase, they may be sweeter than others. Peas tend to grow well with some support, so investing in the EarthBox® Staking System may be a good idea.

Some varieties to try include: Green Arrow, Wando, Thomas Laxton, and Little Marvel


EDIBLE POD PEAS

If you’ve ever had stir-fries, you’ve probably eaten edible pod peas before. Snap peas and snow peas are two types of edible-pod peas. Snow peas are crisp and flat and are harvested before the pods have fully filled out. Snap peas (or sugar snap peas) are picked after the pods have filled. Whether you eat them raw or cooked, they are delicious!

For snow peas, try: Oregon Giant and Oregon Sugar Pod II

For snap peas, try: Sugar Bon, Sugar Ann, Sugar Daddy and Super Sugar Snap

 

SOUTHERN PEAS

Also known as shell beans, southern pea varieties include black-eyed peas, Crowder peas, cream peas and conch peas. Southern peas don’t handle the cold as well as the English and Edible Pod varieties, so they are better for gardeners in hotter climates. They are also very drought-resistant.

If you’d like to try some southern peas, here are some to try:

Black-Eyed Peas: Big Boy, Magnolia, and Queen Anne

Crowder Peas: Calico Crowder, Mississippi Silver, and Knuckle Purple Hull

Cream Peas: Cream, Running Conch, and Zipper Cream

Cow Peas: Lady and Queen Anne

 

Peas can be grown in containers quite easily, but you will have to check the pH of the soil.

Tell us: Which variety will you sow this year?

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