Planting Peas in September

Credit: Barbra Fairclough

Winter peas are often sown by farmers as an overwintering “cover” (green manure) crop.

Come spring, the plants are tilled in to promote soil health and increase available nitrogen. But Arlene Soloman (of the Mostly Greens farm in Kamloops) uses the tender tops and blooms in her salad mixes.

Seed winter (a.k.a. Austrian field) peas in loose soil in September. Rake lightly, water, and walk away. They’ll withstand snow and temperatures of -2°C. In colder zones, they die back and may resprout in early spring.