Plant record

Peas

Pisum sativum

Peas are worth planting when your hands still get cold. They like the brave beginning.

Rankspeciesderived

GenusPisumFabaceae

Species anchorPisum sativumThis record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.

Library score80/100strong garden record

Garden timing

Direct sow early, before the garden is fully awake.

Space-saving method: grow with trellis support.

Plant intelligence

Good for compact blocks and repeat plantings.

foodvertical

Lifecycle: annual

Habit: climbing

Record score

80/100strong garden record

Taxonomy confidence97Pisum sativum in Fabaceae; 3 cached source references.

Square-foot usefulness1008 per square with trellis support.

Timing and care depth711 planting window, 40F minimum soil, 2 cautions.

Species and variety drill-down400 variety or cultivar options attached.

Annual flower intelligence70Food crop with companion context.

Source readiness94Ready for 4 external lookup paths.

Species identity

This record is anchored to a stable botanical name, then adjusted for square-foot garden decisions.

ScientificPisum sativumFamilyFabaceaeLookup namesPeas, Pisum sativum

Garden decision matrix

Square-foot fit8 per square

100Good for compact blocks and repeat plantings. Support: trellis.

Season behaviorhardy

71Direct sow. One main planting.

Care loadmoderate water

70Heat shuts them down. Provide support early. Soil minimum 40F.

Bed ecosystem rolefood, vertical

70Food-first crop with companion context.

Variety depth0 options

40Choose variety by mature habit first, then flavor or bloom.

Companions

carrot, radish, lettuce, dill

Cautions

Heat shuts them down.

Provide support early.

External enrichment

Cached name: Pisum sativum. Optional lookups can compare GBIF, iNaturalist, Perenual, and Trefle without changing the reviewed garden record.

Open enrichment JSON

Data layers

FVF reviewed cachecachedSpacing, timing, variety, companion, and FVF notes used by the planner.

GBIF and iNaturalistlive no-keyNo-key taxonomy, common-name, and community context checks through the enrichment route.

USDA PLANTS downloadsreferencePeriodic identity, distribution, native status, and conservation reference layer.

Perenual or Trefleoptional keyOptional species images, care data, cultivar/synonym cleanup, then cache only reviewed fields.

API source score

Perenual API88/100optional key: Flower and ornamental drill-down, plant photos, care flags, toxicity, bloom data. Limit: Requires an API key and plan-aware caching, so it should enrich records without blocking the app.

Trefle API84/100optional key: Scientific names, subspecies, varieties, hybrids, synonyms, and broader botanical cleanup. Limit: Requires a token and should be treated as a reviewed import layer, not a live page dependency.

USDA PLANTS downloads82/100download cache: Standard names, plant symbols, distribution, native status, and conservation flags. Limit: Best consumed as periodic downloaded data instead of one-off runtime requests.

GBIF Species API78/100live public: Accepted scientific names, synonyms, family/genus cleanup, and occurrence context. Limit: Not a gardening advice source; pair it with local square-foot growing data.

iNaturalist taxa API72/100live public: Common-name discovery, taxon IDs, and regional biodiversity context. Limit: Observation data is not the same thing as garden suitability or crop timing.

Michigan State University Extension

Michigan vegetable-garden timing, frost awareness, and practical garden planning.

Source reference

Cornell Vegetable Growing Guides

Crop-specific vegetable growing guidance.

Source reference

University of Minnesota Extension

Upper Midwest vegetable guidance, cold-climate timing, and succession ideas.

Source reference

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