🎨 AI-generated botanical illustration
🌱 Field Pea
Pisum sativum var. arvense
cover-crops
annual legume
Fabaceae (Legume)
☀️ 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 pH
6.0–7.0 (slightly acidic to neutral)
🪴 Soil Type
Well-drained loam to clay-loam; tolerates heavier soils better than many legumes
🚿 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)
⏱️ 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)
🤝 Barley
Attracts beneficial insects and pollinators
🤝 Corn (Maize)
Attracts beneficial insects and pollinators
🤝 Mustard
Attracts beneficial insects and pollinators
🤝 Oat
Attracts beneficial insects and pollinators
🤝 Potato
Attracts beneficial insects and pollinators
🤝 Radish (forage)
Attracts beneficial insects and pollinators
🤝 Rye (Cereal)
Attracts beneficial insects and pollinators
🤝 Wheat
Attracts beneficial insects and pollinators
⚠️ Keep Apart (4)
⚠️ Gladiolus
Gladiolus and peas share susceptibility to certain fungal rots; avoid planting in close proximity.
⚠️ Onion / Allium family
Alliums can inhibit pea growth and nitrogen fixation; avoid planting peas immediately after or near alliums.
⚠️ 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
Medicinal Properties
- 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
📝 Growing 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.
🛒 Buy Seeds & Plants
Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds
Johnny's Selected Seeds
Botanical Interests
True Leaf Market
Burpee
Territorial Seed Company
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