Field pea Desiree is a productive, low-growing variety of the well-known field pea, offering a generous yield and the traditional, rich flavour of field peas. The plant grows approximately 75 - 100 cm tall and produces beautiful lilac-purple flowers, followed by striking dark purple pods containing tasty brownish-yellow peas. Thanks to its decorative flowers and colourful pods, this variety is not only a valuable vegetable for the kitchen garden but also an attractive addition to the garden. This variety grows best in a sunny location with fertile, well-drained soil. The plants develop climbing tendrils and are best supported with netting or sticks, ensuring orderly growth and making harvesting easier. The peas can be harvested fresh and shelled, or left to fully mature and dried for long-term storage. The young pods can also be harvested and enjoyed as an early delicacy.
Field pea Desiree is known for its full, creamy flavour and firm texture. Fresh field peas can be briefly cooked and are delicious in traditional dishes with bacon, onion, and smoked sausage, but they are also excellent in salads, soups, stews, and stir-fries. The mature peas can be dried and later soaked and cooked for long-term storage. The young, tender pods can also be harvested and prepared as a vegetable. Like other legumes, field pea Desiree can fix nitrogen from the air and therefore contributes to healthy soil. The purple flowers are also attractive to bees and other beneficial insects. Protect young plants and pods from birds if necessary, as they are fond of eating them. Non hardy annual. Height: 75 - 100 cm.
Indoor sowing/under glas: from half January
Outdoor sowing: March - half May
Germination: 12 - 21 days
Germination temp. : 16 - 22 °C
Sowing depth: 3 - 4 cm
Sowing in rows: 40 - 45 cm
Plant position:sunny
Days till harvest: 90 - 120 days
For an early harvest, field pea Desiree can be pre-sown from mid-January in an unheated room or outdoors under glass. Sow the seeds in trays or pots filled with good-quality seed compost and place one seed every few centimetres. Cover the seeds with approximately 3 - 4 cm of seed compost and keep the soil evenly moist. The ideal germination temperature is between 16 and 22 °C. Germination usually takes 12 to 21 days. Once the young plants are strong enough in March, they can gradually be hardened off. Place the seedlings outdoors for increasingly longer periods over several days to allow them to adapt to outdoor temperatures. After this, plant them out in a sunny location in the open ground with a spacing of 10 - 15 cm between plants.
From March to mid-May, the seeds can be sown directly outdoors. Choose a sunny location with fertile, well-drained soil. Sow in rows with approximately 40 - 45 cm between them and maintain a sowing depth of 3 - 4 cm. As soon as the plants start growing, it is important to provide support, such as netting or sticks, so that the climbing plants can grow well and the pods are easy to harvest. Water the plants sufficiently, especially during dry periods, to ensure good pod development. Protect young plants and ripening pods from birds if necessary, for example with a net. Regular harvesting encourages the production of new pods. The harvest usually takes place after approximately 90 - 120 days. Harvest the pods when they are well-filled and plump. The peas must be removed from the pods before eating. Fresh field peas can be stored for approximately 2 - 3 days in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator.
