I am sure that every gardener has peas on his plot. Firstly, planting peas, growing them does not present any particular difficulties. Secondly, freshly picked green pods are a real treat. Thirdly, the beneficial properties of peas are a true gift of God. It includes a unique assortment of nutrients. Fourthly, there are a great many varieties of peas - the gardener has plenty to choose from. Learn how to plant peas and when. What place on the site to choose for him? How to care for the beds? What varieties of peas to grow?
Legumes are one of the most interesting, mysterious plants on earth. After all, they are very close to meat products in their properties, in nutrition, protein content, in amino acid composition, and even better in assimilation by the body.
Now agronomists call Russia a pea country. This is not surprising. We consume peas more than any other country in the world. It is for us that it is better than other legumes.
Peas are one of the oldest cultivated vegetable plants. This is one of the few plants that willingly changes its properties in the process of selection. In just a few years, Russian breeders managed to completely rebuild the architectonics of peas. Until the middle of the 20th century, it lay on the ground, and the pods had to be saved from rot in rainy weather. Now the plants are slender, solid stems that stand perpendicular to the ground and hold tight pea pods.
During my childhood, pea stalks reached a length of one or more meters. My parents always planted it on corn to support it. Now the works of our breeders have bred varieties that do not exceed 70 cm. The most important plus is that they do not lie down due to the fact that they tend to cling to each other with antennae, and this is strengthened.
When to plant peas
Peas are usually planted in open ground from March to June, as soon as the soil warms up to 10 ° C.
When to plant peas in the Kuban? In the Kuban it can be sown in February windows and all March. Peas do not tolerate heat, so early planting is the right decision.
How to plant peas
To achieve the best results for planting peas, you need to choose an open, sunny place with good drainage. It is photophilous, frost-resistant, grows well on light, fertile soil. The bed under it is best to fill with humus, ash, azophos, and if the soil is acidic, then add lime.
Sew a stitch with a corner of the chopper 3-4 cm deep from south to north. If the earth is dry - water. Spread the seeds 5 cm apart. Then cover them with earth, slightly “stamp” the bed with the flat surface of the chopper. This is necessary so that the seeds come into closer contact with moist soil, then they will grow faster and more friendly. To accelerate the emergence of seedlings, the seeds can be soaked for 12 hours before planting. The row spacing during sowing is 15-20 cm.
Pea seedlings are not afraid of frosts down to -6 ° С. Continue sowing every 2 weeks to get green vitamins for as long as possible. Later crops of peas can be placed in partial shade, but so that they are at least 6 hours a day in the sun. It is advisable to mulch crops. Further care - the necessary watering, loosening, top dressing, small hills. Before flowering, peas need moisture, it should be enough. But especially he needs it during flowering, as well as after tying the pods for 2 weeks.
To effectively use the space of the garden, peas can be planted between rows of radishes, spinach, lettuce, and other plants that give early greens. Cucumbers and potatoes are good neighbors for him, but do not plant peas next to garlic or onions.
Peas will appreciate the introduction of wood ash on the bed before planting. Peas can be poured a couple of times during the growth period with an ash solution (1 glass of ash per bucket of water).
The advice of experienced gardeners: if you plant mustard next to peas, then its yield will be 2 times higher.
Tearing peas, be sure to hold the lash with one hand, and ripe pods with the other. Otherwise, you run the risk of uprooting the plant. After all, he has a very close root system. It is best to collect green peas in the morning after the dew has dried. At this time, it is the most juicy, delicious.
The biggest problem of peas is root rot, which causes blackening of the leaves and death of the plant. It is also susceptible to powdery mildew if the weather is damp. The only way out is to look for and sow varieties resistant to these diseases.
Pea varieties
There are many varieties of peas, which differ in their properties, precocity, productivity.
Vegetable varieties are divided into shelling (Alpha, Viola, Dingo, Early Gribovsky, others) and sugar (Sugar Prince, Alexandra, Sakharny-2, Zhegalov).
Peeling varieties of peas have hard leaves covered with a parchment layer, so they use peas, and sugar ones eat whole scapula along with unripe grains.
Varieties of vegetable peas of different ripening groups (from early to late ripening) have been created for vegetable growers, farmers of the Crimean experimental selection station. They have a significant advantage over foreign varieties, both in quality and in yield. Our varieties are more resistant to environmental factors and diseases characteristic of the Kuban.
Recommended varieties of breeding Crimean OSS:
- Alpha 2 is an early ripening variety, from germination to harvesting 53-55 days. Stem length 70-90 cm. Has 6-9 beans on the plant. Bean 7 cm long, 1 cm wide, contains 7-8 pcs. seed. Dry seeds (biological maturity) are yellow, and their surface is wrinkled. Relatively resistant to root rot. Suitable for intensive cultivation technology.
- Vesta is a mid-early variety, from germination to harvesting 56-58 days. The stalk is 65-75 cm long. Forms 7 - 10 beans on a plant. Bean up to 9 cm long, containing 7-9 seeds. In biological maturity, the seeds are green, wrinkled. The variety is relatively resistant to root rot. Suitable for intensive technology.
- Golden eagle - a variety of medium-early ripening, from germination to harvesting green peas 60-62 days. The stem is 70-80 cm long. Has 2 flowers on a peduncle. Bean length 10, width 1.1 cm. Seeds contain 9-10 pcs. Seeds in biological maturity are cerebral, yellowish-green in color. It features a very high productivity.
- Sail - mid-season variety, from germination to harvesting green peas 65-67 days. The stalk is 60-70 cm long. The leaf type is mustachioed, which allows plants not to lie down until harvesting. Has 8-12, maximum 15 beans per plant. Bean with a length of 8-9, 1.2 cm wide. Seeds - brain, green.
- Handsome is a mid-late variety, the period from germination to harvesting green peas is 68-72 days. The stem is 75-85 cm long. It has 2-3, usually 3 flowers on a peduncle. There are 6 - 12 beans in a plant. 10 cm long bean 10 cm wide. Seeds are green, brain. The variety is relatively resistant to root rot.
- The source is a late-ripening variety, from germination to harvesting 73-75 days. The stalk is 75-80 cm long. On a plant 6-8, a maximum of 10 beans 10 in length, 1.3 cm wide. In biological maturity, the seeds are green in color with a wrinkled surface. More resistant to spring frost. Relatively resistant to root rot.
All presented varieties at the time of harvesting have green peas of dark green color with high taste, delicate texture. The proposed set of varieties of breeding of the Crimean OSS can provide continuous supply of green peas for a month or more.
(Information about the varieties of peas and their characteristics were taken from the newspaper "Niva Kuban" with the application "Nivushka" - 2014 -№11).
Useful properties of peas
Peas, like other legumes, have the highest concentration of B vitamins. A similar group of vitamins is not found in any of the vegetables, nor in any fruit. Having tried at least once green peas from your garden, you will never want to eat frozen.
All parts of a green plant accumulate a large amount of protein (almost so much beef contains it), as well as a lot of starch and fat, which are easily absorbed by the body. But the most amazing thing is that green pea is a real multivitamin treasure. Peas include a whole range of various vitamins, including folic acid, which is useful for cores and hypertensives, nicotinic, which helps with fatigue and insomnia. It contains numerous trace elements: iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium. There is also a rare antioxidant in it - the antioxidant selenium, which prevents the development of serious diseases, including cancer.
However, dishes from ripe (dry) peas are “difficult food. To neutralize substances that inhibit the digestion process, before cooking it must be soaked for 15-20 hours, changing the water 2-3 times. Then, when cooking (at least an hour), after 30 minutes, the broth must be drained and filled with new water in order to boil. I must say that peas cook longer in hard water. And soft water allows you to cook it much faster. Just remember that pea dishes are salted at the very end. Salt inhibits the cooking process. Many housewives add baking soda to the water for soaking. After swelling in such water, it will boil much faster.
Food from ripe dried peas should be limited (or excluded) to people with a disease of the stomach, pancreas, suffering from gout, coronary heart disease, etc.
Green unripe peas (including canned ones) can be used as an antisclerotic and diuretic. With stones in the bladder, it is recommended to eat fresh (unripe) seeds, drink a decoction of flowers and fruits. The broth is prepared as follows: 30-40 g of raw material per 0.5 l of boiling water, cook for 10 minutes. on low heat, insist for half an hour, drink 2-3 tablespoons 3-4 times a day for a month with kidney stones, until the stones begin to dissolve and leave the body.
It turns out that peas can preserve, prolong youth and beauty. He helped the Russian Empress Catherine II to get rid of bad skin. What she did not do was powder problem areas of her skin with powder from flour, but ugly spots did not get smaller. The court doctor invited her to try a Roman pea mask with sour cream. It was recommended to cook this mask in a wooden bowl. And it was necessary to grind to an elastic consistency with a wooden mortar. After a few months, the empress's skin became white and smooth.
Modern cosmetologists offer the following recipe for pea masks. He is very simple. For the mask you need 100 grams of green dry peas, which should be exactly green, not overripe. We cook this pea for 2 hours. After that, drain the water. Grind the remaining peas, you can use a drum grater, or, like a queen, in a wooden bowl with a wooden mortar. Add whey to this gruel. The finished mixture can be applied to the face. Leave the mixture on the skin to dry completely (10-15 minutes). Then the mask can be removed with warm water. You yourself can see how miraculous it is.