How to Grow Telephone
Pisum sativum 'Telephone'
Telephone is an heirloom pea variety offering a delightful culinary experience for home gardeners. Its compact growth habit makes it ideal for small spaces or containers while delivering tender pods within two months of sowing.
📷 Wikipedia: PeaStarting Telephone: indoors or direct sow?
🌾 Sow directly in the garden — Telephone is not usually started indoors.
Direct sow seeds outdoors rather than starting indoors, planting them two to six weeks prior to the last frost date.
Soil, care & harvest
Prepare loose, fertile soil with a pH between 6.0 and 7.0 to encourage strong root development. As a cool-season crop, sow seeds directly outdoors 2 to 6 weeks before your last expected spring frost. Push seeds into the soil about one inch deep; they typically sprout within seven to fourteen days depending on temperature.
Space plants three to four inches apart in rows that are at least a foot wide. Although this variety grows quite short, providing a small stake or trellis helps keep pods clean and accessible. Water consistently with one to one-and-a-half inches per week, focusing efforts during pod formation. Apply mulch around the base to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
Watch for aphids, pea moths, weevils, and birds which can damage foliage or pods; use row covers or netting for protection against pests. Monitor plants closely for powdery mildew, fusarium wilt, ascochyta blight, and root rot, ensuring good air circulation to prevent fungal issues. Harvest tender green pods roughly sixty-five to seventy-five days after sowing when they are fully developed but before seeds harden inside.
When to Plant Telephone
Planting windows vary by USDA hardiness zone. Look up yours by ZIP code.
| Zone | Start Indoors | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | — | June – July | August – September |
| Zone 2 | — | May – July | July – September |
| Zone 3 | — | May – June | July – October |
| Zone 4 | — | April – June | July – October |
| Zone 5 | — | April – May | June – November |
| Zone 6 | — | April – May | June – November |
| Zone 7 | — | March – May | May – November |
| Zone 8 | — | March – April | May – December |
| Zone 9 | — | February – March | April – December |
| Zone 10 | — | January – March | March – December |
| Zone 11 | — | January – February | February – December |
| Zone 12 | — | January – February | February – December |
| Zone 13 | — | January – February | February – December |
Companion Plants for Telephone
✓ Good companions
Carrots help break up soil for pea roots and don't compete for nitrogen
Repel aphids and improve overall garden health without competing for space
Can climb pea trellises after harvest and benefit from residual nitrogen in soil
Provides ground cover to keep soil cool and moist, doesn't compete for nutrients
Deter aphids and other pests while attracting beneficial insects
Repels ants and rodents that may eat pea seeds and pods
Quick-growing radishes loosen soil and can be harvested before peas need the space
Cool-season companion that benefits from nitrogen fixed by pea roots
✗ Keep away from
May stunt pea growth and interfere with beneficial root bacteria
Competes heavily for nutrients and can inhibit pea pod development
Can inhibit pea growth and nitrogen fixation due to sulfur compounds
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving (USDA FoodData Central)
