FREE: 25 Early Alaska Sweet Pea Seeds

The listing, 25 Early Alaska Sweet Pea Seeds has ended.

Early Alaska Sweet Peas are tender, sweet flavored peas that are held upright on the top of semi-leafless plants that support themselves with extra tendrils.Alaska Sweet Pea grows best in cooler weather and is among the earliest varieties picked each year. Delicious fresh, frozen, or canned. Average: 59 days

Sow seed in spring as soon as you can work the soil - as early as late March or early April depending on how quickly the soil warms and dries. Peas planted in cold soil (40 F) are slow to germinate. Later plantings made when the soil is warmer (60 F or more) often catch up quickly with earlier plantings. Use raised beds if your soil is slow to drain.

Plant seeds 1 to 2 inches deep, 1 to 4 inches apart in rows 18 inches apart. Or sow about 1 inch apart in a 3-inch-wide band (about 25 seeds per foot). Shallow planting is best when soils are cool and wet. Plant deeper if soil is dry. A quick way to seed is to make a furrow or trench with a hoe, place seed in the furrow, cover and firm. Do not thin.

Erect trellis for tall-growing, vining types at planting using chicken wire, brush or other suitable trellis material. If trellising, increase row spacing to 4 to 6 feet.

Keep soil moist, but avoid heavy watering during flowering, which can interfere with pollination.

Sow fall crops about 8 to 10 weeks before first frost date. Fall crops can be disappointing if hot weather persists. Powdery mildew-resistant varieties are best for fall crops.

Do not use high-nitrogen fertilizers. Too much nitrogen will result in lush foliage but poor flowering and fruiting. Inoculation with rhizobia bacteria may be beneficial if peas have not been grown in the past.

Do not plant peas in the same place more than once in every 4 years. Avoid planting where in places where peas have suffered before from root rot.