Easy Pea-sy Farming

“I have no space!”, “My house doesn’t receive direct sun.”, “I have no time to take care of plants”, “Everything I grow, dies!”. These are some of the most common reasons we hear from people who may not take to gardening so easily.

Introducing… pea sprouts! They need minimal care, no direct sun and grow for just two weeks till you can eat them! And because you are harvesting them long before they start flowering, you can pack them close and rely on the energy stored in the seeds for growth. This is the perfect crop for busy, HDB-dwelling professionals and a top choice for those just beginning their gardening journey!

Spending an extended amount of time at home can take a toll on one’s mental health. In recent years, gardening has emerged as a scientifically proven stress reliever and with a two-week growing cycle, these pea sprouts are the perfect way to ease into some soothing edible plant therapy!

Let’s begin!

Grow Pea Sprouts

Watch as your dried pea seeds transform into tall seedlings and get rewarded with a delicious crop of pea sprouts in just two weeks!

What you need:

Spray bottle
250g of peas (Pisum sativum) seeds for sprouting
Cardboard egg tray (30 egg carton)
Recycled plastic container
2 cups of soil or compost

Steps

1. Soak

Fill the plastic container with water and soak all the dried peas for 24 hours. The peas will double in size, so make sure there’s enough space in the container.

2. Plant

i) Lay enough soil to fill in all the grooves of the egg tray.

ii) Water the soil till it is fully moistened, but not waterlogged. The egg carton should turn a darker shade of grey and feel moist to the touch.

iii) Lay the soaked peas directly on the soil surface. They do not need sun at this stage. Place the egg carton in a cool area with good ventilation. Water daily until the first set of leaves appear, 3 to 4 days after planting.

3. Grow

When the first set of leaves appear, move the setup to a well-ventilated spot with partial sun or indirect light. Continue spraying and wetting the egg carton daily. On hot warm days, water at least twice: in the morning and evening. Watch it grow!

4. Harvest

When the shoots are about 9 to 10 cm tall, cut them off 5 cm above the soil. Rinse them in cold water, and they are ready for cooking!

You may also store the shoots in the fridge for up to a week.

5. Regrow!

Continue watering the sprouts – they can yield up to two more harvests before becoming too fibrous to eat. After the last harvest, you can break up the entire set up and compost it!

Savour Asian Stir-Fried Pea Sprouts!

Pea sprouts are packed full of nutrition! They have a high content of vitamins A, C, E, potassium, and phosphorous compared to other ready-to-eat green leafy vegetables, and more β-carotene and lutein than carrots!

Ingredients:

1 egg tray worth of pea sprouts
1 tbsp olive oil
1 head of garlic, finely chopped
100g mini oyster mushroom
100g frozen scallops

Serves 4 people

Method:

In a wok or pan, add the olive oil and heat on medium heat.
Add in garlic and fry till golden brown.
Toss in mushrooms and cook evenly.
Increase heat to medium high and add in pea sprouts and oyster sauce.
Add the scallops and mix quickly and thoroughly.
Turn off heat and serve with some fried scallions (optional).

Written by: Dex Chen, Assistant Director (Conservation and Environmental Sustainability)

Dex used to hate eating vegetables when young, and loathed botany as a subject. It appears that the universe has given him a shot at redemption. When Dex is not seeding thoughts to get people to work towards a better future, he conducts crazy experiments in his micro-farm along the corridor of his HDB unit!

This article is part of our Fresh From Home series.

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