While they are used differently in cooking, their growing conditions are very similar.
Peas are an annual vegetable and a spring crop that needs cool weather to thrive.
Shelling peas are eitherhybrids or open-pollinated.
The Spruce / K. Dave
They also vary in pod length and days to maturity.
The vines of taller varieties reach 5 to 6 feet in length and require trellising.
As with shelling peas, the seeds are allowed to plump up a bit.
The Spruce / K. Dave
The harvest period of the different varieties can be short, long, or very long.
Another distinguishing factor between varieties is the vine length.
Most garden peas are green but some varieties have purple or yellow pods.
The Spruce / K. Dave
Some of them are consumed fresh, others are dried.
The Spruce / K. Dave
