Telephone
Telephone is a heirloom pea variety (Pisum sativum 'Telephone'). Harvest begins around day 65-75; seed germinates in 7-14 days. Set plants 3-4 inches apart. Grow in soil pH 6.0-7.0, zones 2-11, full sun to partial shade (4-6+ hours). Plants reach 12-18 inches.

Sowing
Direct sow 2-4 weeks before last frost. Plant 2 inches deep and provide tall, sturdy support structures.
Cultivation
- Sun
- Full sun to partial shade (4-6+ hours)
- Water
- 1-1.5 inches per week, especially during pod development
- Soil
- Rich, well-drained loamy soil with good organic content
- Soil pH
- 6.0-7.0
- Spacing
- 3-4 inches
- Height
- 12-18 inches
- Season
- Cool season
Appearance & flavour
- Colour
- Medium green pods with bright green peas
- Size
- 4-5 inch pods
- Shape
- Large, curved shelling pea pods
- Flavour
- Sweet, meaty, and rich with classic pea flavor
In the kitchen
Fresh shelling, soups, purees, freezing, traditional British mushy peas
Pests, disease & resistance
- Pests
- Aphids, pea moth, pea weevil, birds
- Diseases
- Powdery mildew, fusarium wilt, ascochyta blight, root rot
- Resistance
- Moderate resistance to common pea diseases
Planting calendar by USDA zone
| Zone | Start indoors | Transplant | Direct sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | — | — | June – July | August – September |
| 2 | — | — | May – July | July – September |
| 3 | — | — | May – June | July – October |
| 4 | — | — | April – June | July – October |
| 5 | — | — | April – May | June – November |
| 6 | — | — | April – May | June – November |
| 7 | — | — | March – May | May – November |
| 8 | — | — | March – April | May – December |
| 9 | — | — | February – March | April – December |
| 10 | — | — | January – March | March – December |
| 11 | — | — | January – February | February – December |
| 12 | — | — | January – February | February – December |
| 13 | — | — | January – February | February – December |
Companion planting
8 beneficial pairings indexed for this variety, 3 to avoid.
Avoid
Nutrition (per 100 g)
- Calories (per 100 g)
- 81
- Protein (g)
- 5.42
- Fat (g)
- 0.4
- Carbohydrate (g)
- 14.4
- Fibre (g)
- 5.7
- Sugars (g)
- 5.67
- Vitamin A (µg)
- 38
- Vitamin C (mg)
- 40
- Vitamin E (mg)
- 0.13
- Vitamin K (µg)
- 24.8
- Vitamin B6 (mg)
- 0.169
- Folate (µg)
- 65
- Calcium (mg)
- 25
- Iron (mg)
- 1.47
- Magnesium (mg)
- 33
- Phosphorus (mg)
- 108
- Potassium (mg)
- 244
- Zinc (mg)
- 1.24
- Selenium (µg)
- 1.8
Where to buy seed and equipment
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Cultivar facts compiled from public horticultural references including USDA GRIN and NC State Extension. Descriptions are original to this catalogue.
Grown Telephone?
Post a crop report — day counts, reservoir readings, what worked. Variety-specific logs are the most useful thing on the forum.
Similar varieties
Other peas with a comparable time to harvest, so a season that suits Telephone suits these too.
- Purple Podded 65 days
- Lincoln 65 days
- Tall Telephone 68 days
- Wando 68 days
- Green Arrow 68 days
- Maestro 61 days