Pisum sativum‘Wando’
Over the decades that I ’ve been develop pea as part of my annual vegetable garden , I ’ve narrowed down my favorite cultivars to those that are tough , have particularly secure flavor , and create reliably gamy take .
And ‘ Wando ’ tick all the boxes .
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Photo by Nikki Cervone.
‘ Wando ’ is a shaggy-coated cultivar that grows heaps of three - inch pods filled with angelic English shelling pea , ready to harvest after 70 Clarence Day .
They ’re adaptable , problematical , and cold - fearless . In zone 9 to 11 , you could acquire them during the winter . Everyone else can utilize them as a spring , summer , or fall craw .
Ready to discourse what makes ‘ Wando ’ special and how to make it thrive in your garden ? Me too ! Here ’s what I ’ll cover :

Photo by Nikki Cervone.
What You’ll Learn
Quick Look
How to Grow
Where to grease one’s palms

multiplication
Pests and Disease
harvest

preserve
Cooking Ideas
Grab those garden boxing glove and get ready to play in the crap . But before we jab in , allow ’s chat about where this industrial plant came from .

All peas spring up in the Mediterranean region a long , long clip ago .
We do n’t know exactly when they were first cultivated , but they were probable one of the first plants used in agriculture . We have carbon date of this species being cultivated as far back as 7,000 BCE .
During the 1500s , shelling type were bred in England , which is why we call them “ English peas . ”

tight forward to today , and pea have been breed and refined even further to beseem our modern growing need .
uncouth name(s):Wando , English peas
Plant type : Annual leguminous vegetable

Hardiness ( USDA Zone):2 - 11
aboriginal to : Mediterranean
efflorescence time / season : Spring , summertime , fall , wintertime ( Zones 9 - 11 )

photograph : Full sun
Soil type : Loose , copious , well draining
Soil pH:6.0 - 7.5 , slightly acid to inert

Time to maturity:70 day ( spring )
Spacing : 18 inches
Planting depth:1 in ( seed )

Mature size:24 inch wide x 30 column inch high
Water Needs : restrained
Taxonomy
Order : Fabales
Family : Fabaceae
Genus : Pisum
coinage : Sativum
cultivar : Wando
‘ Wando ’ was cover in what used to be predict the Southeastern Vegetable Breeding Laboratory , now known as the U.S. Vegetable Laboratory ( USVL ) .
The USVL is a USDA enquiry facility based in Charleston , South Carolina that breeds and studies vegetable crop .
They hit the jackpot when they combine the English heirloom ‘ Laxton ’s Progress ’ with the New England favorite ‘ ne plus ultra ’ to create ‘ Wando . ’ It was innovate to the market in 1943 .
‘ Wando ’ is a bombardment or English character , which means that you remove the peas from inside the three - inch shells rather than eating them shell and all , as withsnowandsnaptypes .
It ’s a George Bush or dwarf eccentric , rise to about 30 inches marvelous and the pod all mature right around the same metre .
You have two options for disseminate ‘ Wando ’ peas . you may grow them from ejaculate or you may find seedlings from the greenhouse for transplantation .
From Seed
Growing from source is emphatically my preferred propagation method . Seeds can be had for a song and they germinate pronto .
The seedlings grow quickly and you ’re going to be articulatio genus - oceanic abyss in ‘ Wando ’ wonderfulness in no time .
To pop the seeds , you may maneuver - sow in a prepared garden bed or set forth them indoors in four - inch containers filled with pot medium .
I like to expend CowPots because they ’re biodegradable and you do n’t have to interrupt the roots when transplanting because you just set the whole pot in the ground rather than removing the plant life .
CowPots
If you ’d wish to give them a effort , fountainhead to Arbico Organicsto pick up 12 , 180 , or 450 square # 4 weed .
The seeds should be sown about an inch deep and 18 inches apart . piddle the grease well .
The plants should be in full Dominicus or supplemental firing that provides eight hours of sunlight .
Keep the stain moist but not blotto and after about 10 days you should jump seeing shoots issue . In hot or coolheaded weather , it can take a bit longer .
If you part your seeds indoors , once the shoots emerge , countenance them grow for a few weeks before transplanting . You want them to have several sets of true folio and a good few column inch of increase .
Harden them off prior to transplanting .
Transplanting
Whether you grew your own or bribe them at a store , seedlings should be moved from their growing sens to the basis or a large container when they have several sets of genuine leaves .
To do this , fix the ground by working in lots of well - rotted compost . This ameliorate drainage and water retention .
If you ’re growing in a raised bed or weed , you might want toinoculate the soil . Learn about this process inour pea grow guide .
This stair is n’t ask , but it serve the plants to set up nitrogen in the soil .
Dig a muddle in the soil about the size of it of the pot . If you ’re not using biodegradable pots , take away the seedling from its grow container and lower it into the dirt .
tauten the ground up around the plant . irrigate the solid ground and add more soil if needed .
As a principle of thumb you should aim to have your ‘ Wando ’ peas in the ground at least 70 mean solar day before the first frost .
In warm climate , meter your transplantation so they ’ll grow before the temperatures rise above 85 ° F , or 90 at a pinch .
Some types of pea are frigid - tolerant and others are heat - tolerant . Only a few are both .
‘ Wando ’ is both cold - hardy enough to set out early but wo n’t bolt when the weather condition warms up . In fact , I grow this cultivar both in the winter and the summer because it ’s so adaptable .
ordinarily , you should ensure your peas have metre to mature before temperatures climb above 80 ° F . But with ‘ Wando , ’ you have a scrap more latitude .
If you have an extremely short growing season , it ’s a good idea to start your plants indoors to give them a head start .
you could also cover the works on ace hot daytime to give them some protection . I just plop a snowy umbrella over mine .
The soil needs to be well - draining and on the loose , preferably with a pH of 6.0 to 7.5 .
As with all pea , the ground should remain consistently moist . We ’re not sing wet and soggy , just wet enough that the soil feels like a well - wrung - out leech .
If the top half - in of grime dries out , that ’s fine , but no more than that .
You do n’t ask to train ‘ Wando ’ up a trellis , but I find it does help to give them support , particularly when the pods take up form .
I just use tomato John Milton Cage Jr. around the plants . But experience free to draw them up to a trellis or something like .
You also do n’t necessitate to fertilize your ‘ Wando ’ pea unless you doa dirt testand it reveals a specific deficiency . You wo n’t involve to feed with nitrogen , since all legumes create their own . But the grease might lack morning star .
Now , obviously , my favorite part of growing pea is eating them . But my second favorite part is the fact that once they get growing , you could jolly much ignore them and enjoy the show .
‘ Wando ’ is a wildly popular cultivar , which means that hatful of vendors carry seeds .
For representative , Botanical Interestscarries packet of 80 seeds .
‘ Wando ’
If you ’d like a wider chain of option , you’re able to discover 25 - gram , four - ounce , one - pound , five - lbf. , and 25 - pound sign packets of seedsavailable at True Leaf Market .
Managing Pests and Disease
Herbivores bed peas of all kinds . Rabbits , deer , computer mouse , and bird will happily munch on both the folio and the pod .
Aphids , cutworms , and leaf miner are also rough-cut pest .
Aphidsare small and use their husk - like mouthpart to suck the sap out of your plant life .
As they feed , they deprive the plant of nutrients , causing leaf yellowing and even stunt growth when their population build up with child enough .
Cutworms are easy to place . One day , your plant is produce normally and the next mean solar day you inflame up to find it chopped off at the Qaeda and lie all in . acquire about how to control cutworms here .
Leaf miners , as the name implies , chew burrow through the inside of the leaves .
Typically , they ’re more of a cosmetic problem than anything , but you should still deal with them if you detect the revealing mark of squiggly lines on the leafage .
Powdery mildew will be the main disease yield that you ’ll ask to reckon out for . It ’s an extremely common fungal disease that attacks many metal money in the garden .
It shew up as an patent powdery cake on the leaves and stems and it can stimulate slowed growth or leafage decease . Learn all about powdery mould here .
The cod should be ready about 70 days after establish . Each seedcase should have six to eight medium - sized peas .
The beneficial way of life to be indisputable if it ’s harvest time time is to open up a pair of pods .
If the peas inside are plump and a good sizing , find gratis to displume any pod that feels like the peas are about the same size inside .
Younger pea tend to be scented and good for new eating . If you need to falsify them , to the full matured ace are best . They should be reap before the peas entirely fill the cod .
Not all peas will mature at the same rate , so some pods might not be ready even though others are .
To reap , snip them off with a brace of scissors or softly pull them away from the plant . I habituate my fingernails to purloin them off .
happen more tips on harvesting garden pea here .
‘ Wando ’ pea freeze particularly well . Shell and wash them , and then lie them out in a individual stratum on a baking sheet .
Place the rag in the Deepfreeze for 24 minute , then put the peas in a sealable bag , exhort out any air , and save the date and the name on the label . Stick it back in the freezer .
you’re able to also can them if you ’re into canning .
I ’ve been sort of obsessed with make breakfast bites lately . I have too much going on in the cockcrow to prepare sizeable intellectual nourishment , so I make a bunch of frittatas and have them on hand to reheat .
Our baby site , Foodal , has an exceptional formula for mini green onion , feta , and pea frittatas .
Or just cast away them with some chop Allium sativum and saute them in butter , for a beautiful and flavorful side dish .
Toss them in alimentary paste dishes , stool pie , fried Sir Tim Rice , bustle - fries , shepherd ’s pie , or soups .
Technically , you may eat the seedcase , but they ’re fibrous . I will sometimes sum up them to charmer or hack them up finely for my poulet .
Fill Your Garden With Wonderful ‘Wando’
When you ’re narrowing down the type of works you need to grow in your precious infinite , ‘ Wando ’ should be on the list .
If you ’re look for a bush - type English pea plant that can tolerate cold atmospheric condition and develop an abundance of fuel pod , you ’ve found it .
And while you ’re thinking about whatpeas to grow in your veggie patch , check out some other fantabulous selection next :
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Kristine Lofgren