Pea

How to sow

Sow soak 8–12 h, then 3–4 cm compost. Use peat-free coco. Keep the surface just moist.

Germination 2–4 days in the crop record.

Growing

1. Soak — 8–12 hours before. Drain. Do not soak more than 12 hours or they sour.
2. Sowing — Day 0. Sow soaked seed on 3–4 cm moist compost. Press. Cover lightly at most.
3. Harvest — Days 8–14. Snip 2–3 cm above compost at 8–12 cm. Use the same day. No second crop.

Keep at or above 12°C where the crop record sets a floor.

Harvest

First cut around 8–14 days.

Snip 2–3 cm above compost at 8–12 cm. Use the same day. No second crop.

Common mistakes

• Skipping the soak — Dry pea seed is slow and uneven in a shallow tray. 8–12 hours in water, then drain and sow.
• Treating it like basil — This is a microgreen, not a vining pea plant. You will not get pods. Cut the shoots. Pods want a different crop and a deeper pot.
• Sowing too deep — A thick blanket of compost delays a shoot that wants to be eaten young. Press into 3–4 cm compost. Cover lightly at most.

In the kitchen

• Tendril garnish — Use whole shoots on fish, ricotta toast, or a spring salad.
• Pea and mint — Chop through a pea and mint salad, or fold into crushed peas with butter.
• Eggs — Pile on scrambled eggs with lemon zest.
• Soup float — Drop on a chilled pea soup or a hot velouté.
• Stir-through — Fold whole shoots into a grain salad at the table. Do not cook them.

Questions

Sources

1. Pea Seed Pack
2. Coco Soil treatise
3. HubWīk contents