Peas are one of our favourite vegetables to grow in the garden so being able to save pea seeds helps us tremendously. We’ve found varieties that we like and we would have to buy multiple packs every year for the amount that we grow. Saving pea seeds is also one of the easier seeds to save in the garden. Anyone from a beginner gardener to and experienced green thumb can, and in our opinion should, save their own pea seeds.
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Why Grow Peas?
We like growing peas for two very different reasons. For one, peas make a great snack. Routinely they do not make it indoors, and are copiously eaten while in the garden doing other chores.
Two is, peas are one of the easiest vegetables to freeze and be able to store for when growing is not possible. All you need to do to store peas is shuck them and put them into a mason jar or freezer bags and they’ll be good to add to any meal over winter.
What Are Pea Seeds?
Pea seeds are exactly what you think they are, they are peas! They only thing that makes a pea a seed is that it has been dried out for storage to be planted at a particular time.
Is It Hard To Save Pea Seeds?
Peas are one of the easiest seeds to save. It almost happens by accident. In order to save peas seeds to plant next year you need the pea pods to dry out.
This happens automatically when the plant dies at the end of spring or beginning of summer. Once it is dry, the pods can be shucked and the dry seeds stored over winter.
How Do You Know When Peas Seeds Are Dry Enough?
The outside of the pea pod will turn from a vibrant green to a tan or even dark brown colour. Once it looks like that the pod can be harvested and the peas and be removed to be dried for storage.
What Does A Dried Pea Look Like?
Dried peas look just like fresh peas but will be a light green or tan colour. When peas are dry they will be completely hard and will be difficult if not impossible to squish with your fingers.
Can You Harvest Peas Before They Are Completely Dry?
Yes you can. They best way to dry a pea and to ensure the best viability is to let the peas dry naturally on the vine. If you happen to harvest some peas for seed a little early it’s nothing to fret about. Let the peas dry out by placing them on a dish in a single layer in a warm dry location.
How Do You Store Dried Peas?
Dried peas need to be stored in a cool dry location. Stored in either a glass container or for easier storage they can be stored in plastic resealable bags. We store our seeds in resealable bags that we then sort and store in a photo case. We also put a silica gel packets into them to make sure they stay dry.
Can You Plant Peas That Aren’t Completely Dry?
Planting peas before they are completely dry will work but it is not the best idea. If the peas are to fresh it will very likely be eaten by pests or they could go moldy. It’s better to let the pea seeds dry out, at least a little bit before planting.
Will Peas Reseed Themselves?
Absolutely they will. Almost every plant will reseed itself and peas are no exception. There are a couple reasons saving some seeds is still a good idea.
- Crop Rotation: Collect seeds if you like to rotate your crops. You’ll need them in order to plant your new location next year.
- Fall Germination: Seeds typically dry out and fall to the ground with enough time to germinate and sprout in the fall. This might not leave that many to grow in the spring for a new crop. Saving seeds ensures your peas are growing when you want them too.
Hidden Benefit Of Saving Your Own Seeds.
One benefit to saving your own seeds that might get overlooked by some is one of the main reasons why we do it. When you save any type of seed from a plant that you have grown. The seeds are used to the growing conditions of your garden. Therefore, overtime, they get conditioned to be able to grow better in whatever type of soil you have.
We hope you enjoyed this seed saving guide and if you did make sure you check out the other growing guides that we have. We are growing our website with more articles all the time, and we invite you to grow with us. If you have any questions about peas or would like to share some of your knowledge with us please leave a comment below.
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