Austrian winter peas
Cover crop · cool season · also called field peas, winter peas
When to plant
- Plant in fall, starting about 7 weeks before your first fall frost.
- Ready to harvest about 200 days after planting.
Adds nitrogen. Survives winter in zone 6 and warmer; in colder zones it winter-kills into a mulch.
Frost dates depend on where you live. Enter your ZIP code to get exact dates.
Dates by zone: 3a 3b 4a 4b 5a 5b 6a 6b 7a 7b 8a 8b 9a 9b 10a 10b
Growing basics
Not edible.
- Sun
- Full sun (6+ hours)
- Spacing
- Broadcast
- Soil temperature
- At least 40°F
- Time to harvest
- About 200 days
- Plant family
- Bean and pea family (legumes)
- Seeds keep
- About 3 years
Companions
Keep apart: the onion family (alliums). Onions and garlic can stunt beans and peas.
Keep apart: Sunflower. Sunflowers release compounds that can slow beans.
Pests and problems
Grow it well
Tips
- Plant a cover crop in fall. Sow cereal rye, oats, or crimson clover in empty beds after harvest. The roots hold the soil through winter, and in spring you cut them down to feed the soil.
Austrian winter peas seeds on Amazon (opens a new tab)Garden fork on Amazon (opens a new tab)Soil test kit on Amazon (opens a new tab)
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