🌱 Field Pea
Pisum sativum var. arvense
cover-crops annual legume
F
☀️ Sun
Full sun to light partial shade
💧 Water
Medium; consistent moisture during flowering and pod fill improves yield
🗺️ Zones
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 (cool-season; spring or fall planted)
🪴 Soil Type
Well-drained loam to clay-loam; tolerates heavier soils better than many legumes
🧪 Soil pH
6.0–7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)
💧 Drainage
Well-drained; tolerates moderate moisture but not waterlogged conditions
📏 Spacing
Broadcast at 50–100 lbs/acre; drill at 6–8 inch rows
📐 Height
2–4 feet (may benefit from trellising or support crop)
📅 Days to Maturity
50–70 days to flowering; 80–100 days to grain maturity
🍴 Edible Parts
🍽️ ["Young shoots and tendrils (salads🍽️ stir-fries)"🍽️ "Dry peas (split peas🍽️ soups🍽️ dhal)"🍽️ "Can be harvested fresh as garden peas"]
🤝 Companions (8)
🤝 Oat
Field peas and oats are a classic cover crop mix; oats provide physical support for peas while peas fix nitrogen.
🤝 Barley
Barley supports climbing pea tendrils while peas contribute nitrogen; traditional mixed grain-legume forage.
Field peas in rotation before wheat fix 50–80 lbs nitrogen for the following wheat crop.
🤝 Corn (Maize)
Corn benefits from nitrogen credit after field pea cover crop; rotation breaks corn pest cycles.
🤝 Radish (forage)
Forage radish and field peas complement each other — radish breaks compaction while pea fixes nitrogen.
🤝 Rye (Cereal)
Cereal rye and field peas are a winter cover crop mix; rye scavenges nitrogen while peas fix it.
🤝 Mustard
Mustard in pea mix provides biofumigation against soil pathogens while peas add nitrogen.
Field pea cover crop before potatoes improves soil nitrogen and structure for tuber development.
⚠️ Keep Apart (4)
⚠️ Onion / Allium family
Alliums can inhibit pea growth and nitrogen fixation; avoid planting peas immediately after or near alliums.
⚠️ Gladiolus
Gladiolus and peas share susceptibility to certain fungal rots; avoid planting in close proximity.
⚠️ Other legumes (too close in rotation)
Continuous legume plantings build up pea-specific soil pathogens; rotate with non-legumes.
⚠️ Waterlogged / compacted soil
Peas in saturated soil develop root rot rapidly; nodulation fails and plants yellow and die.
💊 Medicinal Uses
["Good source of plant-based protein and fiber", "Contains lignans with potential cancer-protective properties", "Rich in B vitamins and minerals including iron and zinc"]
📜 History & Traditional Uses
One of the oldest cultivated crops — found in Neolithic sites across Middle East and Europe; staple protein source before introduction of New World beans.
📝 Notes
Excellent cool-season nitrogen fixer — typically 50–100 lbs N/acre. Often mixed with oats or barley as nurse/support crop. Winter-kills in zones 6 and colder, providing easy spring mulch. Austrian winter pea is a popular cold-hardy variety.