Low-nitrogen fertilizer is used with peas because they, like other legumes, draw nitrogen from the atmosphere with the help of soil bacteria. To make the bacteria available, dust seeds before planting with commercial bacteria cultures available at garden supply centers.
Peas are among the earliest vegetables to be picked each year and should be eaten almost immediately because, like corn, they lose their sweet flavor very rapidly. All grow on vines and do best in cool weather.
If temperatures rise above 75 before the last crop matures, the plants may fail; an exception is the sturdy Wando variety of green pea, which withstands temperatures as high as 80. In regions where winter temperatures rarely fall below 30, start successive plantings in fall and continue until 60 days before max-imum daytime temperatures are expected to average 75. Plastic garden netting hung on metal posts makes a good support for the plants. When the vines become 15 inches high, run twine from post to post outside the vines on each side of the fence at a level of about 12 inches from the ground.
Peppers grow best in soil with a pH of 5.5 to 7.0. In most of the U.S. and southern Canada, where winter frosts are expected, start seeds indoors in spring six to eight weeks before minimum night temperatures are expected to average above 55. Sow the seeds in a flat and transplant the seedlings to individual pots when they are about 1 inch tall. Or sow two or three seeds in individual pots, and when the seedlings become an inch tall, cut off all but the strongest one in each pot. The plants need indoor temperatures of 70 to 80.
Pods of green peas should be picked while they are firm but still succulent, before they become yellowish or shriveled. Edible-pod peas should be picked while the pods are still flat and the peas within are barely discernible.
Since pea pods are firmly attached to their vines, hold the vine with one hand and pull the pod with the other. Unused pea seeds will keep for about two years.
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