Botanical Name: Pisum sativum
Days to Maturity: 58 days
Family: Fabaceae
Native: Western Asia, Europe, and North Africa
Hardiness: Frost-tolerant annual
Plant Dimensions: 18" tall
Variety Information: 5" long pods that contain 7–9 plump peas. 'Progress #9' is a shelling pea with resistance to common wilt disease.
Type: Shelling pea
When to Sow Outside: RECOMMENDED. 4 to 6 weeks before your average last frost date, when soil temperature is at least 40°F, ideally 60°–80°F and again 10 to 12 weeks before your average first frost date. In Mild Climates, sow in fall or winter for winter harvest. Best grown in temperatures less than 85°F.
When to Start Inside: Not recommended.
Days to Emerge: 5–10 days
Seed Depth: 1"
Seed Spacing: 2"
Row Spacing: 18"
Thinning: Not required.
Harvesting: Shelling peas should be harvested when the pods are plump, about 3 weeks after flowering. Peas that are too mature are tough and will cause the plant to stop producing; therefore, harvest regularly when pods are at their peak. Use scissors to harvest or hold vine with one hand and pick the pods with the other; vines are fragile.
