Consider Heirloom Varieties When Growing Peas

By Lawrence Davis-Hollander
Published on December 9, 2014
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No matter the variety, shell peas are delicious when homegrown and home-cooked.
No matter the variety, shell peas are delicious when homegrown and home-cooked.
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The Wando pea is a cross of two heirloom varieties, and it is known for its tolerance of high temperatures.
The Wando pea is a cross of two heirloom varieties, and it is known for its tolerance of high temperatures.
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Alaska peas were originally named Earliest of All.
Alaska peas were originally named Earliest of All.
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Tom Thumb peas are perfect for containers.
Tom Thumb peas are perfect for containers.
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While rare, the Champion of England pea is available, and the sweet taste is worth the search.
While rare, the Champion of England pea is available, and the sweet taste is worth the search.
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Little Marvel was developed in 1908 in the U.S.
Little Marvel was developed in 1908 in the U.S.
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Tall Telephone grows up to 6 feet tall.
Tall Telephone grows up to 6 feet tall.

Like most folks, my first experience eating green peas was as a child. For some reason, my family ate peas in one form only: from a silver and black Le Sueur can. I hated them. In those days, you ate what you were served, so I ate them with displeasure.

For years, I avoided peas whenever I could. Being an optimist, I somehow lost my resignation when I moved to the country and planted a long double row of Tall Telephone peas and ate the fresh divine greenness of the legume family. There is nothing quite like eating homegrown peas. While they require a bit more work than other vegetables, if you have the garden space, they are well worth the effort.

The family

Peas (Pisum sativum) are a member of the Leguminosae or Fabaceae family, commonly known as Pea or Bean family. It is the third largest plant family and contains close to 20,000 species worldwide of economic and ornamental importance. The biggest subfamily in this family is the Faboideae, or Papilionoideae. Members of this group are easy to identify by their often showy five-part flowers that consist of a banner, keel and wings.

Common to most pea plants is the legume, the botanical name for the long flattened fruit that opens along a seam — the pea pod in this case. Leaves are generally compound, meaning a leaf is composed of a few too many leaflets. Legumes include food plants such as peas, cowpeas and soybeans, as well as shell and dry beans such as kidney beans, lima beans, lentils, chickpeas, peanuts and many others. A variety of forage and bee plants, such as clovers, alfalfa and vetch, are found in this family, too.

History of the pea

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