Peas

We got our peas planted early this year for a change. They came up and looked fine for a while, but now the leaves and vines have gotten very pale in color, almost white or yellow. It's been a very rainy spring here, so that may be the reason. Has anyone else seen this, and is there anything I can do to correct the problem?

Any advice would be much appreciated.

You hit the nail on the head, Dennis. Too much rain, and probably combined with a bit too cool temps. (Altho peas can handle some pretty low temps, when they're saturated with water I'm sure the freezing temps may tend to burst some of the cells.

At this point just pray that the rains let up...if the ground can dry out you'll see new growth and even more flowers coming back on your plants.

What kind didja plant by the way? (Just curious...I'm a pea freak!)

Hi Horseshoe: Thanks for your response. Maybe it will dry out a bit up here someday. The peas are Sugar Snap (on the fence), and Wando. Both have the same problem. They don't look too bad except for the washed out color, so I could get a crop yet.

Dennis

Okay, thanks. Those Wando's should come back for sure and make a crop. Just think how juicy they're gonna be!

I didn't plant any sugar snaps this yr so am hoping you can enjoy yours twice as much, for both of us!

Dennis, I don't have any advise except wait and see, they might do ok. Peas don't do too well for me but this week I discovered something interesting that I will duplicate on purpose next year. First some background on my climate. Our last frost can happen around June 1, some of the May frosts are down to 20*. We have about 10 inches precipitation annually. The weather gets hot quite suddenly. Peas tend to fry before they even blossom. This year I have a patch of volunteers from last year's bush pea patch growing happily in weeds higher than they are. The weeds have protected them somewhat from the hard frosts, kept the soil moist around their roots, and protected them from the intense sun when it suddenly turned to the 90 degree mark a week after we had snow and cold wind. I gave this some thought and formulated a plan. Often I leave radishes to go to seed and have done the same with beets, they make seed stalks 3 ft high and give the bees something to play with. This year I will do that again and in the fall I will plant my peas among them. Those will grow tall fast in the spring and protect the peas. I can trim with clippers if they get too big, not pull them up and disturb the pea roots. I think it will work. Meanwhile, the peas I planted and kept weeded aren't looking too promising, and we are eating peas from the ones hidden in the weeds. Funny how life just teaches you things if we take the time to look.

Hi Mary. Have never had peas come back like that, but every year we get lots of volunteer cherry tomatoes and for sure a ton of radishes. It's still wet here, with rain predicted nearly every day for the next week or so, but the fence peas, (sugar snaps), are looking much better, so I may get a crop yet!

Thanks to both you and Horseshoe for sharing your garden wisdom.

Dennis

In a wetter climate you might try this in raised beds and plant the peas among the shade crop in the spring so the seeds don't rot over the winter.

Mary, you have given me something to think about too! I usually plant my peas very close (about 2" apart in all directions) and use pea brush to prop up the vines. It works, but intercropping with somthing else might be a much more productive way to go, as well as providing needed shade for the roots and lower stems.

Our climate sounds a lot like yours, but here it happens earlier in the spring. April often brings cool or cold, then in mid-May it quickly gets hot (80s or even 90) for a week or longer. Peas just can't take that sudden heat.

I had a fair pea crop, but I didn't get all that rain. Enough, but not too much (for a change!). Sorry you are having such a hard time, Dennis.

I grow Petit Pois, my absolute favorite, and impossible to find fresh. Usually grow Sugar Snap too, but I had severe crop failure this year (only 3 plants sprouted out of 80 :(

Thanks again for the idea! (wondering how they would do among my chervil and onions)