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Many gardeners prefer to grow peas in their garden plots. After all, it does not require complex care, and its juicy, sweet seeds can be used fresh and for processing. But few people thought about the fact that peas are a vegetable or fruit. After all, in essence, it doesn’t make much difference. However, you still need to figure out what this plant actually is and where it came from.
Peas – food and feed crop
History of the origin of peas
This plant has been grown by people since ancient times. Its seeds were found during excavations of Stone and Bronze Age caves in Greece and Iraq. Peas subsequently spread to Europe and India. It was discovered at the excavations of Troy dating back to 4 thousand BC. e. Theophrastus also mentions it in his “History of Plants,” which was written in the 3rd century BC. e.
In ancient China and India, this culture was revered as a symbol of wealth and fertility. And in Greece it was believed that peas were a rough food plant. During the Middle Ages, it, along with lentils, was the basis of nutrition for the poor people of the Middle East, North Africa and Europe.The appearance of peas in the New World was facilitated by Christopher Columbus, who brought seeds to Santo Domingo from his first voyage.
It was only in the 17-18th century that the culture could be appreciated in France, when the chef introduced green peas brought from Italy and cooked according to a special recipe to the court of King Louis XIV. This created a sensation and became the beginning of a fashion for this culture.
Unripe peas were enjoyed by all the French nobility. At this time, attempts were made to develop new plant varieties in England. It subsequently gained wide popularity in North America. Thomas Jefferson bred about 30 species of this crop on his estate. Since then, it has not lost popularity; work is constantly underway to develop new varieties by breeders all over the world.
Do peas belong to the legume family?
You can understand whether peas are a legume crop if you familiarize yourself with the main features of these plants.
A distinctive feature of all legumes is a multi-seeded, single-locular fruit-pod, opening with two valves. In it, the seeds are arranged in one row. They are without endosperms, with large seven lobes. Based on this, we can say that the plant is one of the representatives of the legume family.
But whether the crop is a vegetable or a fruit should also be sorted out. Based on cooking, peas are considered a vegetable. But according to botany, it can be classified as a fruit. Since these are all flowering crops whose fruits contain seeds. Therefore, it is impossible to say unequivocally that peas are vegetables.
Description of peas with photos
This plant is an annual plant with a lodging stem. Its height reaches 45-100 cm, depending on the variety. The leaves are pinnate with large stipules.At the tops they have curly mustaches. The shade of the plates is light green with a bluish waxy coating.
The stem of this legume is weak and requires support.
According to the plant description, peas have a tap root system. It goes deep into the soil up to 1.5 m. This allows the plant not to suffer from lack of moisture even during dry periods.
The length of the fruit pods is 10-16 cm. Inside each of them, 6-10 round green peas are formed.
Where are peas grown in Russia?
Since 2011, Russia has been intensively increasing the pace of growing this legume. Now it is one of the main exporters of peas, both vegetables and cereals, to India and European countries.
According to experts, this plant accounts for 4/5 of all areas intended for sowing legumes. The harvest is more than 600 tons. Moreover, peas are in demand on the world market not only as legumes, but also as raw materials for further processing and freezing. This crop produces a rich harvest and enriches the soil with nutrients.
The main pea growing areas in Russia:
- Stavropol region.
- Rostov region.
- Altai.
- Omsk region.
- Krasnodar region.
- Tatarstan.
- Tambov Region.
- Novosibirsk region.
How and how long do peas grow?
The plant belongs to the cold-resistant category with a short growing season of 45 to 70 days. After planting the seeds in the ground, seedlings appear within 10-14 days. Development is happening at an accelerated pace.The first fruits ripen 2-3 weeks after flowering.
For full development of the plant, long daylight hours are required. Therefore, early sowing is recommended, when the snow melts and the soil warms up to +5 °C to a depth of 10 cm. The seedlings easily withstand frosts down to -6 °C. The optimal temperature during growth and flowering is +15-17 °C. Its increase to +26-35 °C leads to a slowdown in development and an increase in the likelihood of fungal diseases.
How peas bloom
The plant blooms 4-6 weeks after sowing and continues throughout the entire growing season. Timely collection of ripe pods stimulates the formation of new buds.
Peas bloom, as can be seen in the photo, when the stem reaches a length of 30-40 cm. Its buds are formed in pairs in the axils of the leaves. The flowers are large, their size is 3.5-4 cm. They are moth-type with a corolla. Their distinctive feature is a three-ribed column with grooves at the bottom and a tuft of hairs at the top.
The color of pea flowers varies from white to pale pink
Conclusion
It is impossible to say with certainty whether peas are a vegetable or a fruit. Indeed, based on its main characteristics, it can be classified into both categories. But this does not in any way affect the popularity of the culture. After all, not all plants are so cold-resistant and undemanding to growing conditions. And at the same time show high productivity.
