Pea Seeds — Pisum sativum

Fresh Peas for the Vege Patch

This Pea (Pisum sativum) is a garden shelling pea, grown for sweet green peas tucked inside plump pods. There’s something lovely about opening a freshly picked pod, whether the peas make it into dinner or are enjoyed straight from the garden.

This is a shelling pea rather than a snow pea or sugar snap: allow the peas to fill out, then remove them from the pods for eating. Grow a row in the cooler part of the season and pick regularly while the peas are young and tender.

Why Gardeners Love It

• 🫛 Fresh shelling peas — sweet green peas for the kitchen
• 🌱 Cool-season crop — a useful choice for spring and autumn sowing
• 🥣 Lovely fresh or lightly cooked — add to salads, vegetable dishes and soups
• 🪜 Benefits from support — pea netting or twiggy sticks help keep plants upright
• ✂️ Regular picking — harvest filled pods before peas become hard and starchy
• 🌿 A satisfying garden crop — follow the pods from flower to harvest

Growing Tips for New Zealand

Sow directly in spring or late summer to autumn, adjusting timing to your local climate. Peas prefer cool to mild conditions rather than hot summer weather. In colder areas, avoid sowing into frozen or persistently waterlogged soil, and time flowering away from severe frosts where possible.

Sow approximately 3–5 cm deep and 5–8 cm apart in fertile, free-draining soil. Germination commonly takes around 7–14 days in suitable conditions, with slower emergence in cold soil. Water after sowing, then keep moist without saturating the seedbed, as peas can rot in cold, wet conditions.

Choose a sunny position and provide pea netting, short trellis, or twiggy sticks early so tendrils can attach as plants grow. Allow access between rows for picking. Protect emerging seedlings from birds and slugs.

Water consistently during flowering and pod development, especially in dry weather. Avoid excessive high-nitrogen feeding. Small repeat sowings during suitable weather can help spread your harvest.

Pick when pods feel full but the peas inside are still tender. Hold the vine with one hand as you pick to avoid damaging stems. Shell soon after harvesting and use promptly for the freshest flavour, or blanch and freeze any surplus.

What’s in the Packet

Each packet contains 50 Pea seeds (Pisum sativum).

📄 Want to go even deeper? The CHBotanics Propagation from Seeds Manual — Professional Edition — a comprehensive digital PDF covering sowing times, germination, spacing, and much more across dozens of flower and vegetable species, is available as an instant download. 🌱😊