Field Pea

Pisum sativum arvense

Fabaceae (Legume)

A cool-season legume grown for dry, storable peas and as a soil-building cover. Doubles as winter forage.

EdibleAnnualCool-seasonFixes nitrogenSurvival cropStores well

Field Pea (Pisum sativum arvense) illustration — Texas Roots plant database, by Jordan Polasek

Sun

Full sun

Water

Moderate

Soil

Average

pH

6.0–7.5

Hardiness

Cool-season annual

Height

2–4 ft

Spacing

2–3 in

Days to harvest

60–90

What it is

Field Pea (Pisum sativum arvense) is in the Fabaceae (Legume) family. A cool-season legume grown for dry, storable peas and as a soil-building cover. Doubles as winter forage.

How to grow it

It wants full sun, water it moderate, and give it average soil. Target a soil pH around 6.0–7.5. Space plants about 2–3 in apart. Expect roughly 60–90. Cool-season annual.

How it's used

Field Pea is used: dried peas; young shoots.

🔎 How to identify it

Tendrils, paired leaflets
White/purple flowers
Pods dry on the vine

Edibility

PartsSeed and shoots

UsesDried peas; young shoots

CautionNone.

🌤 Before you plant: check the live 7-day garden weather to time it right for frost and heat.

Part of the free Texas Roots plant database, compiled by Jordan Polasek from his greenhouse in El Campo, Texas. Free to read and share. If it helped, the best thanks is to grow something.