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Can we grow peas in Central Texas?
Several types of cool season peas will grow for us. That includes the English that we shell out, the snap pea that we eat whole, and the snow pea, the flat-podded pea that we enjoy in stirfry and other types of cuisine.
These peas do well in our climate but they just don't like heat or extreme cold. If it freezes or it gets very hot, they are going to have problems and not do well. So, we have a narrow window in the spring and in the fall when we can plant them. We are in that spring window now so we want to go ahead and get them in the ground.
Plant in well-drained garden soil that's been worked up with a lot of compost. If you can, dust them with an inoculant for legumes to promote the nitrogen-fixing nodules on their roots. You can purchase it at garden centers where you find the pea seed.
You want to plant them about an inch deep in a sunny spot and keep them growing by watering adequately to keep the soil moist. The key is to protect them from frost when they are really young, or from freezes especially, and to chose a variety that's about 58 -60 days from planting to harvest. That way they won't be trying to ripen in the warm weather, since they just can't tolerate the heat.
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