Spongegirl
Cool Member
Posts: 81
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 10:56 am
Location: Kentucky

can my new peas be too crowded?

Greetings from Kentucky. I don't want to thin my pea seedlings and am wondering if they can be too crowded? I am thinking the answer is yes, they can be too crowded but it would be great if peas can be thick and do really well. Thanks.

User avatar
Gary350
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7396
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.

The garden shows on TV they always sow peas like grass seed. Lots and lots of peas in a 12" wide row. I have tried this and it works best. About 1 pea seed every 2" is about right row can be any length you like. Peas like to climb and the plants will climb on each other.
Last edited by Gary350 on Sun Apr 10, 2011 6:50 pm, edited 1 time in total.

User avatar
gixxerific
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 5889
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

Gary350 wrote:The garden show they always sow peas like grass seed. Lots and lots of peas in a 12" wide row. I have tried that and it works best. About 1 pea seed every 2" it about right. Peas like to climb and the plants will climb on each other.
I agree I tried this last year I believe on the suggestion from Jal_UT. I had no problems other than trying to harvest cause there were so many.

User avatar
digitS'
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 3925
Joined: Sun Sep 26, 2010 1:10 pm
Location: ID/WA! border

The advice you are getting seems reasonable to me, Spongegirl.

I would really have a hard time crowding my peas just by my lazy approach to planting. I don't plant in a wide row but I'm only willing to struggle to get so many conventional rows in a bed and bend over so long, sprinkling a seed every so many inches . . . .

In general, gardeners are into nurturing - it isn't in their nature to willfully rip things out of the ground! Still, you aren't doing a plant any favors by allowing its neighbor to crowd it for sunlight, water and nutrients. Stunting the whole lot of them isn't a nice thing to do either!

The tendrils of probably all the pea varieties are tasty eating. I grow snow peas every fall just so that I can enjoy having the tendrils. There's a possibility that I will also have a few pods before hard frost but . . . the pretty flowers are fine to eat, also :wink: !

Some folks sprout pea seed for eating -- I've no doubt that pulling seedlings, if'n you really have a concern, and running off to the kitchen with them would be a wise thing to do :) . But, don't be afraid to thin seedlings -- lots of your garden plants will really appreciate you doing so.

Steve

User avatar
soil
Greener Thumb
Posts: 1855
Joined: Thu Jan 22, 2009 8:40 pm
Location: N. California

I agree I tried this last year I believe on the suggestion from Jal_UT. I had no problems other than trying to harvest cause there were so many.
lol yea, I planted 100 snow peas last year, thinking I wouldnt get too much if I planted real close. I think I did 2 inches. wow did we have a killer year for peas, more than we could eat, our neighbors and friends. chickens ended up getting tons of em. and left many for seed to toss around.

User avatar
jal_ut
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7447
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Northern Utah Zone 5

Peas can be pretty close and still do well. I tried a wide row once by just broadcasting seed over an area about ten feet by 3 feet. It did good and I got lots of peas, but it was a bear to weed. I then decided to try several rows spaced ten inches apart. This had all the advantages of the wide row planting but it was a snap to drag a hoe between the rows and get the weeds. From 3 to 5 rows spaced ten inches works very well for me. I use my seeder to drop the seed and it puts them pretty close. I guess what I am saying is, yes, peas can be close and do well.

User avatar
Gary350
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7396
Joined: Mon Mar 23, 2009 1:59 pm
Location: TN. 50 years of gardening experience.

Last summer I planted peas in August. I sprinkled the pea seeds in a 12" wide x 20 ft long row. I put some tomato cages in the 20 ft row close together. Peas grew and I picked peas a few months later.

I left the tomato cages in that row all winter. About late January I sprinkled pea seeds along that same 20 ft row. Peas came up a month ago it looks like they will be ready to pick in another month just about the time I will need all my tomato cages for my tomato plants.

Spongegirl
Cool Member
Posts: 81
Joined: Tue May 25, 2010 10:56 am
Location: Kentucky

so, they do ok crowded but not so close to be on top of each other. I did thin them as bad as I didnt want to. Then I transplanted what I pulled to another spot. Peas don't like to be transplanted; they pobabably won't make it. I have so much to learn. My 25 x 25 garden is already so full, that I only left a thin walkway to move around. And I only have about 10% planted. Time to expand! I can't wait!

User avatar
gixxerific
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 5889
Joined: Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:42 pm
Location: Wentzville, MO (Just West oF St. Louis) Zone 5B

I can say though planting them close together is no problem, that being in a row. DO NOT put the rows too close together. Like I did last year it was dang near impossible to harvest the peas and or beans they both work the same way. I will remember that this year. I have a fairly good size garden but like you I to to make the most out of every square inch. Sometimes that ends up biting yourself in the butt. Though the plants do good you can't get to them with out difficulty.

Live and learn. :lol:

I have lived here for 4-5 years this is the first year I haven't expanded my garden. :shock: Though the though has crossed my mind and the year isn't over yet. Another thing I do is use pots and my many other "flower gardens" to put that I gotta have but don't need thing.

User avatar
ButterflyGarden
Senior Member
Posts: 213
Joined: Mon Jul 20, 2009 12:13 pm
Location: Beitar Illit, Israel

what if I have mine in a pot? Is this still a good method?

User avatar
tomakers
Full Member
Posts: 32
Joined: Wed Jun 28, 2006 12:13 am
Location: Cranberry Country, SE MA - zone 6?

Spongegirl wrote:Greetings from Kentucky. I don't want to thin my pea seedlings and am wondering if they can be too crowded? I am thinking the answer is yes, they can be too crowded but it would be great if peas can be thick and do really well. Thanks.
I don't think you can plant peas too close. For years I have planted them in wide rows, no more than 2" apart and I get fine peas and plenty of them.
Tom

User avatar
jal_ut
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7447
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Northern Utah Zone 5

Gix, if you plant the freezer type peas for freezing, the day they are ready, just pull the vines and go sit in the shade to pick peas.

WinglessAngel
Green Thumb
Posts: 381
Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:51 pm
Location: NE Ohio

not to hijack but I was trying to save space and maximize what space I had so I planted one row of alaska peas, and just sprinkled the seeds in a furrow and covered them with the dirt dug out, it seemed to do the trick for the right seed depth, but I just sprinkled them in, I didn't bother to go every two inches, I am hoping I will just have some thinning to do and we'll be all fine. I put up two small trellis's I bought from the store (I planted them today btw) and put them at 90 degree angles and wired them together and stuck them in the ground one side up against the garage and the other side against the shed on the side of the garage...my cauliflower is planted in front....what I'm hoping is ill have tons of peas growing up the trellis and my slower growing cauliflower below it...bad idea? lol I know they will need thinning but I would like to do as little as possible....I would love to see tons of pea plants climbing and have peas and flowers hanging all over it....

garden5
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 3062
Joined: Fri Aug 07, 2009 5:40 pm
Location: ohio

I'm glad to see that it was my fault and not the peas. Oh, what was my fault? The fact that every time I plant peas....I don't get as great a harvest. Now
I see that the reason is I goo too light with them. I mean, I only do like two skinny rows with the seeds several inches apart. I'm certainly going to try planting them closer this time! Thanks for the inspiration, all!

gardenbean
Senior Member
Posts: 251
Joined: Wed Apr 13, 2011 8:47 pm
Location: Westminster Colorado

Can one really plant to many peas? To me, peas are the best example of springtime and they are so wonderful to just pick and eat fresh right away.

In my mind, one can never get enough.............

WinglessAngel
Green Thumb
Posts: 381
Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:51 pm
Location: NE Ohio

I'm deff gonna be thinning out my pea seedlings and my romain, which I just threw all over the ground LOL but I plan on eating the thinnings for fresh sprouts so no biggie for me....can't wait....looking forward to lots of fresh lettuce and peas!

User avatar
Moonshadow
Full Member
Posts: 50
Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2012 3:45 am
Location: Virginia, 7a

With the wide row method, are you guys trellising, using bush varieties, or what?


With the tomato cages that were mentioned, and things like the teepee setups, aren't the peas on the inside hard to get to?

I'm trying to figure out what will work best in my space. :)

WinglessAngel
Green Thumb
Posts: 381
Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:51 pm
Location: NE Ohio

Gosh I can't remember what I did, mind you this was in 2011...

User avatar
jal_ut
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7447
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Northern Utah Zone 5

Image

Image

Image

Enjoy those peas. Yes, they can be planted close. Plant plenty. I don't give them any special attention. Just plant them. They cling to each other. No trellis necessary.

WinglessAngel
Green Thumb
Posts: 381
Joined: Thu Apr 14, 2011 11:51 pm
Location: NE Ohio

Ooph brain malfunction when I replied previously my apologies. I did post previously in the thread what I had done for some reason I thought I had started this thread. Between illness, office computer issues I've been working on repairing for nearly a week and a business to still run I've gotten myself all turned about apparently lol.

Your peas look awesome Jal!

Oh and speaking of peas, I've planted a couple of giant (and I mean giant) tubs of Oregon Sweet Sugar Pod II Giant Snow Peas for the winter and have them under grow lights a few hours a day in my patio. They're being alternated so they get what little natural light we get through the windows and patio door during the day and the grow lights to make up for the lack of sunlight at night I think it's set for 6 hours. Patio doesn't get a whole lot of light but they're self pollinating so we'll see if the experiment works. :) They're next to my giant herb tubs too, also with grow lights, same setup. 2 kinds of basil, 2 kinds of oregano, thyme, marjoram and mixed Chinese chives.

User avatar
Moonshadow
Full Member
Posts: 50
Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2012 3:45 am
Location: Virginia, 7a

Wow! They do form quite a bit of a wall, don't they? The last (and first) time I tried peas, I was working in containers on a rental property. They were not very impressive at all. Got a few blossoms, but then no peas. :(

Hopefully I'll do better with them actually in the ground. I'll try with no trellis and see what happens. (I've got Sugar Sprints, I think, which don't get that tall....)

User avatar
jal_ut
Super Green Thumb
Posts: 7447
Joined: Sun Jan 18, 2009 10:20 pm
Location: Northern Utah Zone 5

Peas respond well to water. Be sure to give them plenty.

When it comes to varieties, some are better for picking a few here and there, the development is spread out, while others seem to come ready all at once. The Ones that come all at once are called freezer peas. Read the descriptions and select the type you prefer. Maybe two or three varieties will be good? That is what I usually do.

[quote]With the wide row method, are you guys trellising, using bush varieties, or what?[\quote]

I use my seeder and plant 5 rows ten inches apart. Whatever length seems appropriate. No trellis, just let them do their thing.

User avatar
Moonshadow
Full Member
Posts: 50
Joined: Mon Aug 27, 2012 3:45 am
Location: Virginia, 7a

Looks like the Sprints are an extended harvest variety. I'll look into getting one to freeze, too, if I end up making enough space for more than one grouping of peas. Still trying to graph out my plots....

SOB
Green Thumb
Posts: 311
Joined: Mon May 31, 2010 2:44 pm
Location: Radnor, OH

I also do the wide row method. I first tried letting them grow with no trellis and while they did a good job of standing up on their own you still had to lift them up off the ground a bit to get all the peas. I guess the weight was too much for them.

This fall I planted the same way (12" wide row, peas about 2" apart at most) but put stakes down the middle with string horizontally every 8" or so to create a little trellis. This has helped out quite a bit as they are growing more upright now. I think the added support makes it easier to harvest.



Return to “Vegetable Gardening Forum”