Dutch peas are soft pod peas, which use the tender pods as their edible organs. Snow peas have a unique flavor and are rich in nutrients. They are a famous and high-quality vegetable that people love very much. Using greenhouses to produce snow peas in protected areas can not only enrich the vegetable varieties in winter and spring, but also obtain higher economic returns.

Snow peas like cool climates, are relatively cold-tolerant, and not resistant to high temperatures. The optimum temperature for seed germination is 16-18°C; the seedling stage can tolerate low temperatures and the optimum temperature for growth is 12-16°C; the optimum temperature for flowering is 15-18°C; the optimum temperature for pod maturity is 18-20°C.

Snow peas prefer strong light and high soil and air humidity.

There are two main ways to cultivate snow peas in greenhouses, early spring cultivation and late autumn cultivation.

(1) Variety selection: Generally, open field varieties are suitable for greenhouse cultivation. Varieties such as Taichung 11, Taichung 12, American small white flower, and Guangzhou two-flowered snow pea can be used in the Yangtze River Basin and areas south of the Huaihe River. For greenhouse cultivation in North China, varieties such as Jinruan No. 1, Big Pod Pea, Solved Sugar, and Crispy Sweet Pea 80-11 can be used.

(2) In the cultivation season, spring early-maturing cultivation generally raises seedlings in January and transplants in February, and the seedling age is 35 to 40 days; late autumn cultivation generally raises seedlings or direct seeding in July, and transplants in August. Age is 20 to 25 days.

(3) Seedling cultivation: Snow peas are not resistant to transplanting, so mulching measures should be taken to cultivate seedlings. Nutrient soil blocks, nutrient bowls, and nutrient paper bags can be used for cultivation. Sow 3 to 4 seeds in each pot (bowl). The volume of the nutrient soil block is 10 cm × 10 cm × 10 cm.

Early spring seedling cultivation should be carried out in a greenhouse or hotbed, or the greenhouse can be covered with a small shed, and the seedlings can be raised with thatch at night.

Post-autumn planting and seedling cultivation are carried out under open field conditions, but measures for shading, cooling and rain prevention should be taken.

The temperature of seedlings in winter and spring should be maintained at 16 to 18°C ??after sowing to promote seedling emergence. After emergence, keep the temperature at 15-20℃ during the day and 5-15℃ at night. Ventilation and cooling should be carried out in time when the temperature is higher than 25℃. When the seedlings grow to 4 to 5 leaves, they should undergo low-temperature exercise to keep the minimum temperature at about 2°C to adapt to the greenhouse environment in early spring. Those who sow and raise seedlings in summer and autumn should pay attention to shading and cooling, especially during the cotyledon stage, they should prevent high temperature and humidity to prevent the seedlings from growing too long.

(4) Cultivation management Early spring cultivation: Plots used for early spring cultivation in greenhouses should be deeply plowed and frozen before winter. In early February, bake the plot under the shed. After the soil thaws, apply 5,000 kilograms of decomposed organic fertilizer, 30 kilograms of superphosphate, and 100 kilograms of plant ash per acre. Spread the fertilizer evenly and then plow the ground and level it to make a flat plot with a width of 1.2 meters.

It can be planted when the lowest temperature in the shed is stable at about 4℃ after the shed is buckled. In North China, planting can be done from mid-February to late February. When planting, dig 2 trenches in a 1.2-meter-wide border with a trench depth of 12 to 14 centimeters. Plant seedlings along the water with a spacing of 15 to 18 centimeters.

After planting, strengthen heat preservation to promote slow seedlings. After planting and slowing down the seedlings, keep the night temperature above 5℃ and the daytime temperature not exceeding 25℃. When entering the flowering and pod-bearing stage, the night temperature should be kept at around 10°C, and the daytime temperature should be 18 to 20°C. After mid-April, ventilation should be gradually increased to maintain normal temperature in the shed.

When planting, after watering the planting water, there is generally no watering or fertilizing until the buds appear. The main method is to cultivate and hoe to protect moisture. After the plants show buds, they should be watered and fertilized. You can apply 25 kilograms of compound fertilizer per mu, and then water. From now on, water and fertilize once every 10 to 15 days, and apply 10 kilograms of urea per acre each time, and keep the soil moist.

The stems and vines of Dutch beans are soft and hollow and prone to lodging. Measures should be taken during production to make them grow upright and maintain good ventilation and light transmission conditions. The most commonly used method at present is a combination of poles and strings to support the stems and vines. The method is to insert a bamboo pole or wooden stick every 1 meter on the border (two borders per border). A rope is wrapped around the stick every 0.5 meters to make the bean sprouts climb and grow on each other, and the rope is used to support and stabilize both sides of the border. This method saves materials and labor, is convenient and practical.

Delayed cultivation in autumn: Snow peas cultivated in delayed autumn can be broadcast live in greenhouses in early to mid-July, or seedlings can be intensively raised in mid-to-late July, and planted in greenhouses in early to mid-August.

The method of sowing, raising seedlings and planting snow peas in greenhouses after delayed autumn cultivation is the same as that of early spring cultivation.

During the sowing, nursery and early planting stages of snow pea cultivation in late autumn, the greenhouse only covers the top for sunshade, cooling and rain protection; after mid-September, the surroundings of the greenhouse are lowered, leaving only skylights open to maintain a suitable temperature. ; After mid-October, only provide proper ventilation at noon; after late October, cold protection and heat preservation should be strengthened, and harvest can be delayed until the end of November.

For the fertilizer and water management of snow peas in autumn, please refer to the relevant content of spring greenhouse.

Dutch peas mainly feed on young pods, usually 14 to 16 days after flowering. When the pods are still green or start to turn light green, it is the right time to harvest.