Dun Pea (Pisum sativum )
Austrian Winter Pea / Höstärt
First snow in December
This variety of dun pea is sown in autumn and survives the winter. As the name implies, this variety is originally from Austria.
The peas are small, round and brown or green with purple spots. The plants are 130-160 cm tall and need support from either a net or branches, or by growing together with cereals. Since it is sown in autumn it matures earlier than spring sown peas because of the head start it gets.
Winter peas can survive down to -18 to -23 °C, depending on snow cover, temperature swings, etc. In December 2021 my winter peas survived -19 °C with no snow cover without any problems. Winter peas should not be sown too early, since larger plants are not as cold hardy as smaller ones. I sow them around 1 October. When I sowed them as early as 19 September only a few plants survived. The exact sowing time of course depends on your climate, so you'll have to do a bit of trial and error.
