How to Grow Pea Shoots in Australia

Pea shoots are the young stems and tendrils of the field pea (Pisum sativum, family Fabaceae), grown on a tray and commonly eaten raw. This seed is 'Kaspa', a dun field pea, not a snow pea. The shoots taste of fresh garden peas and are usually ready 10 to 16 days from the soak; an overlong soak can rot them first.

Three mistakes that matter

1. Soaking too long. Soaks much past 12 hours, especially in warm water, raise the risk of the seed rotting instead of sprouting. Soak 6 to 12 hours in cool water, then drain it well.
2. Heaping the seed. Seed piled two deep holds water between the layers, where mould starts. Weigh the dry seed for your tray and spread one layer only.
3. Cutting too late. Left to grow on, pea shoots turn fibrous and chewy. Cut them at the stage Cutting and Storing describes.

When to sprout

Pea shoots grow indoors in any month, best at about 15 to 25°C. Warmer rooms push up water use and trap humidity in the dense tray. Above about 25°C, soak and grow in the coolest room, away from the stove and sunny sills. Below 15°C, the pre-sprout and the tray both slow down.

Food safety

The warm, damp tray that grows the seed also suits bacteria, and bacteria carried inside a contaminated seed cannot be washed out.

• Use seed sold for sprouting. Sowing seed can be treated with fungicide or insecticide, and flowering sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) seed is toxic, not food. See which seeds to sprout.
• Wash your hands first. Wash and rinse the tray, jar and tools, then sanitise them before the first batch and between batches. Use a dishwasher that can sanitise, usually on its longest, hottest setting. Otherwise, soak them in very hot water (77°C for 30 seconds). Or soak them for 30 seconds in plain unscented household bleach at 25 mL to 10 L of cold water. Make the bleach up fresh each day and use it as its label directs. Let them air-dry.
• Soak, rinse, mist and water only with water fit to drink.
• Potting mix can carry Legionella bacteria. Follow the bag's warning: wet the mix down, wear gloves and a P2 mask, and wash your hands afterwards.
• Store cut shoots in a fridge at 5°C or colder, away from raw meat and poultry. Cooked shoots for anyone at higher risk are eaten straight away. Leftovers are cooled, kept in the fridge, used within a day of cooking and reheated until steaming hot.
• Mould, slime or a sour smell ends a batch: compost it and wash the tray. Shoots can carry harmful bacteria while looking, smelling and tasting normal, so none of those is a test of safety. More in sprout problems and safety.

What you need

Grow in a shallow tray with drainage holes, set inside a solid tray that holds water. A second tray of the same size rests directly on the seed as the cover. On top goes about 1 to 2 kg, such as a jug of water. Add 2 to 3 cm of seed raising mix or coir, a spray bottle, clean scissors and untreated 'Kaspa' pea seed. Soak and pre-sprout in a sprouting jar, a jar with a mesh lid, or a colander over a bowl.

Soaking and Sowing

Start the soak in the evening; the seed usually shows roots a day or two later.

1. Weigh the seed for your tray, rinse it, and tip it into a bowl or jar with room to swell.
2. Cover it with about four times its volume of cool drinking water. Soak 6 to 12 hours, usually overnight.
3. Drain, rinse and drain again. Leave the jar upside down on an angle, or the colander over a bowl, so water runs off and air reaches the seed.
4. Rinse and drain every 8 to 12 hours until most seeds show a short white root tip.
5. Wet the mix through and let it drain. Spread the seed one layer deep, seeds touching, and press it lightly in.
6. Mist, set the cover tray directly on the seed with the weight on top, and leave the tray somewhere dark.

Drain completely after every rinse, because seed left sitting in water ferments and spoils. Due to quarantine restrictions and our shipping policy, we cannot send 'Kaspa' pea seed to Tasmania.

Thick pea roots tend to push the seed upward, and pressure keeps them growing down into the mix. Once the roots grip, lift off the weight and turn the cover tray upside down, so it shades the shoots without touching them. A wet, covered tray can go mouldy, so in a hot, humid kitchen mist less and air the tray daily.

Day by day

Green pea shoots drink hard, yet a tray left standing in water rots from the base.

To water from below, pour water into the solid tray and let the mix drink. Tip out whatever is left after an hour. A fan on low keeps air moving through the dense stems.

Cutting and Storing

Pea shoots are ready at 8 to 15 cm, when the first tendrils curl at the tips. As a semi-leafless field pea, 'Kaspa' is bred with tendrils in place of most leaflets, so expect more curl than leaf. Cut with clean scissors about 2.5 cm above the mix, above the lowest leaf or two, so no roots, seed or mix reach the bowl.

Keep the cut tray watered in bright light, and a second, smaller cut often follows about a week later. Some stems will not regrow, and the regrowth is usually tougher and suits cooking. After that, compost the roots and spent mix, then wash and sanitise the tray.

Cut shoots for storing while the leaves are dry, and leave them unwashed. Seal them in a clean container and refrigerate them as Food safety describes; they generally keep 5 to 6 days. Rinse them under cool running water just before use. They are commonly eaten raw in salads, sandwiches and wraps; for anyone Food safety names, toss them through a stir-fry or soup until steaming hot.

Common problems

White fuzz at the base. Root hairs are a fine, even fuzz on the roots only, and they vanish when misted. Mould spreads over stems, seeds and mix like cobweb, stays after misting and smells musty. A mouldy tray ends as Food safety describes.

Mushy seed or a sour, rotten smell. The seed is rotting: throw it out. Check the soak in Three mistakes that matter, and the watering in Day by day.

Seeds lifted out of the mix. The weight was too light or came off early. Press the seeds back, mist to settle the mix, and add weight next time.

Slow or patchy sprouting. Old seed, a skipped soak or a room below about 15°C can each leave gaps. Start with fresh seed and the full soak.

Tips

1. Sow a new tray every couple of weeks for a steady supply.
2. Cut in the morning, when shoots are crisp, and take only what you need.
3. To grow peas on to pods in the vegie patch, see the garden peas guide.