Wonder Wednesday 5: Give Peas a Chance

Give Peas a Chance

They are delicious and nutritious!

Early spring cool weather (ideally after the last frost) is the perfect time to plant edible peas. Where you live will depend on when you actually plant your peas, but it is never too early to start planning the spring garden and gathering your seeds. Peas need a trellis, so that can be built while the weather is still cold. Check with your local extension agency to learn the best time to plant peas in your area.

The lesson below ties growing peas in an elementary or secondary school garden into history with the book The First Peas to the Table. Offer students the opportunity to research the former presidents' home gardens while waiting for their peas to sprout and grow.

More ideas to tie peas into classroom learning include:

Use geometry to build a trellis for the peas to climb. Have the students sketch and then build the trellis’ for the peas incorporating a geometry lesson on topics such as cones, arcs, and lines (convergent, divergent, parallel)
Count the number of sprouts and measure them weekly. Document this information in the nature journals. How tall will your peas get?
Learn more about Thomas Jeffersons innovative gardening techniques from this NY Times article on the modern validity of Jefferson’s Gardening methods.
Learn about heirloom and unique variety peas from Southern Exposure, Seed Savers, or other sustainable seed catalogues

What type of peas?

Sugar Snap peas are a great to plant with children because they can be grown up fun trellises and children love to eat them raw right off the plant. If you have space, grow a variety of types of edible peas. Stagger the planting and enjoy tasting varieties like snow peas & sugar snap peas which you eat the pod, and shelling peas (aka English peas) where you eat only the green pea seeds inside the pods.

Caution - Poisonous Peas:

It is very tempting to plant the fragrant sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus). THESE ARE POISONOUS! Do not plant these in children's gardens. Do not plant these in any gardens with edible peas. Sweet Peas are not edible!

List of Steps

step 1

Materials

Nature journals, rulers, pencils and/or crayons

Book: First Peas to the Table: How Thomas Jefferson Inspired a School Garden by Susan Grigsby

Pea seeds to plant in the garden. You may want to choose a variety of types.

Trellis supplies for building or installing the trellis of your choosing (bamboo, wood, metal, etc)

Optional: Fresh organic pea pods to taste after the story to get excited about the forthcoming harvest

step 2

Preparation

Make sure the timing is right for planting peas.

Begin by asking the children some questions about peas and engage a short discussion: Do they like them, what color are they, have they tried them before, how do they grow – on a vine, bush, or stalk, inside a pod or from a flower, or both?

This discussion will of course be modified for the various age groups as necessary. Go with your instincts and follow the child’s curiosity!

Not sure how to grow or trellis peas? Check out this article by the Old Farmer's Almanac.

And check out the 10 Spring Gardening Tips & 5 Tips for Seed Sowing posts below 🙂

step 3

Procedure

Show the book and read the story .

Explain how like the characters in the book, they will plant pea seeds and observe how they grow documenting their observations in their nature journals.

Pass a seed to each child and use a magnifying glass to closely observe the qualities of the seed.

Draw the seed in the journals. Depending on the age of the child write “pea seed” and some observations on the page to document the seed.

Once the child has documented their seed, they may plant it in the garden or designated space for the peas.

Show how to read a seed packet to determine how deep to make a little hole with their finger.

Then, drop the seed in, cover it back up, and water.

At the next lesson, explain that it's important to give pea seeds something to climb - reminding students of the previous conversation about how a pea is a vine.

Explore ways to trellis peas - whether tunnels or tall cones, on a fence or up a traditional trellis - and which will work best for your garden or planter.

Design and build the trellises.

Install trellises for the pea sprouts to climb once the seeds have sprouted. Alternatively, the trellis can be built prior or the same day. There is no right or wrong order here. It simply depends on your students, schedule, and climate.

Students should water the seeds regularly and after sprouting, begin to document the pea plant daily.

**If there is a possibility of a freeze, the pea shoots or plants may need to be covered with a sheet or cloth at night.

Seeds to Sprout:

The hows and whys of garden trellising, building a trellis

Hows & Whys of Trellising

If yo ugrow peas, you're going to need a trellis of some sort for them to climb. Learn more about choosing, buying, or building the right trellis for your space and the plant that needs to climb in this oldie but goodie post - Gardens on a String: The Hows & Whys of Trellising.

Click here!