Home grown pea harvest
Tips for Harvesting the Sweetest Peas
One of the biggest advantages of growing peas in your home garden is being able to harvest them at the peak of ripeness — when they are at their sweetest. Not all pea pods ripen at the same time, so picking them at just the right moment is essential for the best flavor and texture.
One pod per flower
Once pea seeds are planted in late March, the plants thrive in mild daytime temperatures and chilly nights. During the first few weeks, check the plants regularly as they grow. When the delicate white flowers begin to appear, start watching for pods to form. Every flower produces a pod, whether you are growing shelling peas, sugar snap peas, or snow peas.
Harvesting peas at peak ripeness requires both diligence and patience. Pick the pods too early, and the peas inside will be small and lacking in sweetness. Wait too long, and the sugars begin turning to starch, leaving the peas mealy and bland and the shells of the sugar snap peas tough.
Harvesting
I plant several different varieties to extend my harvest season from late May through mid-June. Each variety matures at a slightly different rate, providing a steady supply of peas over several weeks. You can also do succession planting by planting the same varieties a few weeks apart to extend the growing season. The plants will continue producing flowers and pods until daytime temperatures consistently rise above 85 degrees. At that point, the vines begin to brown and die back from the heat.
Harvesting peas successfully involves using three senses: sight, touch, and taste.
- Look for pods that are beginning to plump up. (Snow peas are the exception — they are harvested based on pod length rather than fullness.)
- Feel the pods gently. If they feel firm with a slight give from the peas inside, they are usually ready to pick.
- Taste one to be sure. The first shelling peas of the season, popped fresh from the pod into your mouth, taste almost like candy.
Pea vines are delicate. So, when harvesting use two hands and hold the vine where it attaches to the pod with you hand and pull the pod with the other hand. Once the first batch is ready, check your plants every few days for more ripe peas. Frequent harvesting encourages the plants to continue producing.
Taste, Taste, Taste
The flavor difference between perfectly harvested garden peas and store-bought frozen or canned peas is remarkable. Fresh shelling peas are difficult to find in grocery stores because commercial growers harvest and process them quickly for freezing and canning. Even when fresh peas are available in spring, they are rarely hand-picked at peak ripeness, so sweetness can vary greatly from pod to pod. Fresh peas lose sweetness quickly after picking as sugars convert to starch so consume the peas quickly or refrigerate for a few days only.
So go check your peas! Pop the ripe ones straight into your mouth and enjoy the sweetness. This is what home gardening is all about.