Peas are cool-weather crops usually direct-sown 1" to 1.5" deep as soon as soil can be worked in the spring.
Sow 1",apart, with row spacing 18" to 24". Peas fix nitrogen if the seeds are innoculated.
Optimum soil temperature for germination is 40 to 75 F. They emerge in 8 to 25 days.

Soak peas before sowing. If cold wet soil causes too many peas to rot before emerging, consider sprouting them on a wet paper towel indoors, then planting them within 12 hours of the root emerging.

Pole varieties need a stake, strings, net, fence or trellis for support. Bush varieties may not need support, but may benefit from one or two horizontal strings. Most bush varieties mature all at once, so sow more every two weeks.

Peas prefer full sun and well drained soil. They benefit from rich organic soil and/or fertilization. Side dress with one cup complete fertilizer and 1/2 cup of bone meal per 5 row feet. Mulching and frequent ground watering keeps roots cool. Reduce mildew by avoiding overhead watering.

Snap peas are sweeter if the pods are allowed to fatten up before harvest, but then you may have to remove a string. Snap peas have a higher yield than other types of peas.

Snow pea pods are most tender when small and flat (peas undeveloped). Some varieties like Oregon Sugar Pod II stay sweet (not starchy) even when pods are fat with fairly big peas.

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