How to Plant and Grow ‘Wando’ Peas

Lathyrus oleraceus (syn. Pisum sativum) ‘Wando’

Over the decades that I’ve been growing peas as part of my annual vegetable garden, I’ve narrowed down my favorite cultivars to those that are tough, have particularly good flavor, and produce reliably high yields.

And ‘Wando’ ticks all the boxes.

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‘Wando’ is a bushy cultivar that grows heaps of three-inch pods filled with sweet English shelling peas, ready to harvest after 70 days.

They’re adaptable, tough, and cold-hardy. In Zones 9 to 11, you can grow them during the winter. Everyone else can use them as a spring, summer, or fall crop.

Ready to discuss what makes ‘Wando’ special and how to make it thrive in your garden? Me too! Here’s what I’ll cover:

Grab those garden gloves and get ready to play in the dirt. But before we dig in, let’s chat about where this plant came from.

All peas originated in the Mediterranean region a long, long time ago.

Fast forward to today, and peas have been bred and refined even further to suit our modern growing needs.

‘Wando’ was bred in what used to be called the Southeastern Vegetable Breeding Laboratory, now known as the U.S. Vegetable Laboratory (USVL).

The USVL is a USDA research facility based in Charleston, South Carolina that breeds and studies vegetable crops.

It’s a bush or dwarf type, growing to about 30 inches tall and the pods all ripen right around the same time.

Propagation

You have two options for propagating ‘Wando’ peas. You can grow them from seed or you can find seedlings from the nursery for transplanting.

From Seed

Growing from seed is definitely my preferred propagation method. Seeds can be had for a song and they germinate readily.

The seedlings grow quickly and you’re going to be knee-deep in ‘Wando’ wonderfulness in no time.

To start the seeds, you can direct-sow in a prepared garden bed or start them indoors in four-inch containers filled with potting medium.

I like to use CowPots because they’re biodegradable and you don’t have to disturb the roots when transplanting because you just place the whole pot in the ground rather than removing the plant.

CowPots

If you’d like to give them a try, head to Arbico Organics to pick up 12, 180, or 450 square #4 pots.

The seeds should be sown about an inch deep and 18 inches apart. Water the soil well.

The plants should be in full sun or supplemental lighting that provides eight hours of sunlight.

Keep the soil moist but not wet and after about 10 days you should start seeing shoots emerge. In hot or cool weather, it can take a bit longer.

If you started your seeds indoors, once the shoots emerge, let them grow for a few weeks before transplanting. You want them to have several sets of true leaves and a good few inches of growth.

Harden them off prior to transplanting.

Transplanting

Whether you grew your own or bought them at a store, seedlings should be moved from their growing pot to the ground or a large container when they have several sets of true leaves.

To do this, prepare the ground by working in lots of well-rotted compost. This improves drainage and water retention.

If you’re growing in a raised bed or pot, you might want to inoculate the soil. Learn about this process in our pea growing guide.

Firm the soil up around the plant. Water the ground and add more soil if needed.

How to Grow

As a rule of thumb you should aim to have your ‘Wando’ peas in the ground at least 70 days before the first frost.

In warmer climates, time your transplanting so they’ll mature before the temperatures climb above 85°F, or 90 at a pinch.

Some types of peas are cold-tolerant and others are heat-tolerant. Only a few are both.

‘Wando’ is both cold-hardy enough to plant out early but won’t bolt when the weather warms up. In fact, I grow this cultivar both in the winter and the summer because it’s so adaptable.

Normally, you should make sure your peas have time to mature before temperatures climb above 80°F. But with ‘Wando,’ you have a bit more latitude.

If you have an extremely short growing season, it’s a good idea to start your plants indoors to give them a head start.

As with all peas, the ground should remain consistently moist. We’re not talking wet and soggy, just wet enough that the soil feels like a well-wrung-out sponge.

If the top half-inch of soil dries out, that’s fine, but no more than that.

You don’t need to train ‘Wando’ up a trellis, but I find it does help to give them support, especially when the pods start forming.

I just use tomato cages around the plants. But feel free to tie them up to a trellis or something similar.

You also don’t need to fertilize your ‘Wando’ peas unless you do a soil test and it reveals a specific deficiency. You won’t need to feed with nitrogen, since all legumes create their own. But the soil might lack phosphorus.

Now, obviously, my favorite part of growing peas is eating them. But my second favorite part is the fact that once they get growing, you can pretty much ignore them and enjoy the show.

Where to Buy

‘Wando’ is a wildly popular cultivar, which means that lots of vendors carry seeds.

For example, Botanical Interests carries packets of 80 seeds.

‘Wando’

If you’d like a wider range of options, you can find 25-gram, four-ounce, one-pound, five-pound, and 25-pound packets of seeds available at True Leaf Market.

Managing Pests and Disease

Herbivores love peas of all kinds. Rabbits, deer, mice, and birds will happily munch on both the leaves and the pods.

Aphids, cutworms, and leaf miners are also common pests.

Cutworms are easy to identify. One day, your plant is growing normally and the next day you wake up to find it chopped off at the base and lying dead. Learn about how to control cutworms here.

Leaf miners, as the name implies, chew tunnels through the inside of the leaves.

Typically, they’re more of a cosmetic problem than anything, but you should still deal with them if you notice the telltale signs of squiggly lines on the foliage.

Powdery mildew will be the main disease issue that you’ll need to look out for. It’s an extremely common fungal disease that attacks many species in the garden.

It shows up as an unmistakable powdery coating on the leaves and stems and it can cause slowed growth or leaf death. Learn all about powdery mildew here.

Harvesting

The pods should be ready about 70 days after planting. Each pod should have six to eight medium-sized peas.

The best way to be sure if it’s harvest time is to open up a couple of pods.

If the peas inside are plump and a good size, feel free to pluck any pod that feels like the peas are about the same size inside.

Younger peas tend to be sweeter and good for fresh eating. If you want to cook them, fully mature ones are best. They should be harvested before the peas entirely fill the pod.

Preserving

‘Wando’ peas freeze particularly well. Shell and wash them, and then lay them out in a single layer on a baking sheet.

Place the sheet in the freezer for 24 hours, then put the peas in a sealable bag, press out any air, and write the date and the name on the label. Stick it back in the freezer.

You can also can them if you’re into canning.

Cooking Ideas

I’ve been sort of obsessed with making breakfast bites lately. I have too much going on in the morning to prepare healthy food, so I make a bunch of frittatas and have them on hand to reheat.

Our sister site, Foodal, has an exceptional recipe for mini green onion, feta, and pea frittatas.

Or just toss them with some chopped garlic and saute them in butter, for a beautiful and flavorful side dish.

Fill Your Garden With Wonderful ‘Wando’

When you’re narrowing down the type of plants you want to grow in your precious space, ‘Wando’ should be on the list.

If you’re looking for a bush-type English pea that can tolerate cold weather and produces an abundance of pods, you’ve found it.

Are you growing ‘Wando’ peas? How do you plan to use your harvest? Tell us in the comments section below!

And while you’re thinking about what peas to grow in your veggie patch, check out some other excellent options next: