Telephone
Pisum sativum 'Telephone'
A treasured heirloom from the 1870s that remains one of the finest shelling peas ever developed. This tall, vigorous climber produces enormous pods packed with 8-10 large, exceptionally sweet peas that have satisfied gardeners for over 150 years. The impressive height and prolific production make Telephone a garden showstopper that delivers old-fashioned pea flavor at its absolute best.
Harvest
65-75d
Days to harvest
Sun
Full sun to partial shade
Zones
2–11
USDA hardiness
Height
12-18 inches
Planting Timeline
Showing dates for Telephone in USDA Zone 7
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Telephone · Zones 2–11
Growing Details
Zone-by-Zone Planting Calendar
| Zone | Indoor Start | Transplant | Direct Sow | Harvest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 3 | — | — | May – June | July – October |
| Zone 4 | — | — | April – June | July – October |
| Zone 5 | — | — | April – May | June – November |
| Zone 6 | — | — | April – May | June – November |
| Zone 7 | — | — | March – May | May – November |
| Zone 8 | — | — | March – April | May – December |
| Zone 9 | — | — | February – March | April – December |
| Zone 10 | — | — | January – March | March – December |
| Zone 1 | — | — | June – July | August – September |
| Zone 2 | — | — | May – July | July – September |
| Zone 11 | — | — | January – February | February – December |
| Zone 12 | — | — | January – February | February – December |
| Zone 13 | — | — | January – February | February – December |
Succession Planting
Telephone is a cool-season crop with a 65–75 day window, which makes succession planting worth the planning. In zone 7, direct sow your first round as soon as the soil is workable and above 45°F — typically late February to early March. A second sowing 2–3 weeks later, around mid-March, extends harvest by a couple of weeks rather than dumping everything on you at once. Stop sowing by early to mid-April; peas started after that won't finish before daytime highs hit 85°F, at which point pods go starchy fast and powdery mildew moves in hard.
A fall planting is possible if you're willing to fight the heat at germination. Count back 75 days from your first expected frost — mid-November in most of zone 7 — and target a late August to early September direct sow. Soil at the surface is still pushing 80°F in August, which hammers germination rates; pre-soak seed for 8–12 hours and keep the bed consistently moist until sprouts emerge.
Complete Growing Guide
Start preparing your Telephone pea site in early spring by working compost or well-aged manure into your soil—this heavy feeder needs rich, organic matter to support its impressive 6-8 foot height. Choose a spot with morning sun and afternoon shade in hot climates, or full sun in cooler regions. Install your support structures before planting; these vigorous climbers need sturdy 8-foot poles, strong trellises, or wire fencing that won't buckle under the weight of mature vines laden with pods.
Direct sow seeds 2-4 weeks before your last frost date when soil temperature reaches 45°F. Plant seeds 2 inches deep and 3-4 inches apart in double rows spaced 6 inches apart along your support structure. Skip indoor starting—peas hate transplanting and direct-sown plants always outperform transplants. Soak seeds overnight in lukewarm water to speed germination, but avoid this step if your soil is still cold and wet.
Fertilize lightly at planting with a balanced organic fertilizer, then switch to phosphorus-heavy feeding once flowers appear to boost pod production. Avoid high-nitrogen fertilizers after the first month—they'll give you lush foliage at the expense of pods. Water consistently but avoid overhead watering once plants reach 12 inches tall, as wet foliage invites powdery mildew.
The biggest mistake gardeners make is waiting too long to provide support. Start training vines when they're 6 inches tall, gently weaving growing tips through your trellis. Telephone peas are top-heavy once loaded with pods, so add horizontal support wires every 18 inches up your structure. Mulch around plants to keep roots cool and retain moisture—this variety struggles in hot soil and will stop producing if stressed by heat and drought.
Harvesting
Harvest Telephone peas when pods are plump, bright green, and completely filled out—you should feel individual peas pressing against the pod walls. The pods should snap crisply when bent, not bend limply. Test readiness by gently pressing a pod between your fingers; mature peas will feel firm and round, not soft or flat. Harvest in early morning when pods are cool and full of moisture for the sweetest flavor and best texture.
Pick pods using a gentle twist-and-pull motion, supporting the vine with your other hand to prevent damage to the delicate stems. Never yank pods straight down—this tears the vine and reduces future production. Harvest every 2-3 days once production begins, as leaving overmature pods on the plant signals the vine to stop producing new flowers. Look for pods that are 4-5 inches long and well-filled but still tender—overmature pods will have tough, starchy peas that lack the variety's signature sweetness.
Storage & Preservation
Fresh Telephone peas maintain peak quality for only 2-3 days after harvest, so process them quickly. Store unhulled pods in perforated plastic bags in your refrigerator's crisper drawer at 32-40°F. Shell peas just before use, as shelled peas deteriorate rapidly and lose their sweetness within hours.
For freezing, blanch shelled peas in boiling water for 90 seconds, then immediately plunge into ice water. Drain thoroughly and freeze in portions—frozen Telephone peas retain their meaty texture better than most varieties and keep for 8-10 months. These large peas also excel in pressure canning for soups and stews. Avoid dehydrating Telephone peas, as their high moisture content and large size make them prone to uneven drying and poor rehydration.
History & Origin
Telephone peas emerged from British breeding programs in the 1870s, developed to meet the Victorian era's demand for large, prolific peas that could feed growing industrial populations. The variety earned its name from its impressive height—standing tall like the newly invented telephone poles that were transforming communication across England and America during that same decade.
British seed companies exported Telephone peas to American gardeners in the 1880s, where they quickly became a staple in kitchen gardens from New England to the Pacific Northwest. The variety's exceptional pod size and reliable production made it particularly valuable for families preserving food for winter storage—a critical consideration before modern refrigeration. Telephone peas played a significant role in the development of commercial pea processing, as their uniform size and meaty texture made them ideal for early canning operations. This heritage variety has maintained its genetic integrity for over 150 years, making it a living link to 19th-century gardening traditions.
Advantages
- +Exceptional pod size with 8-10 large peas per pod—among the most productive shelling varieties
- +Outstanding heat tolerance compared to other tall pea varieties, extending harvest season
- +Superior freezing quality that maintains texture and sweetness better than most varieties
- +Strong, vigorous vines that continue producing for 3-4 weeks once harvest begins
- +Excellent disease resistance to common pea ailments like fusarium wilt
- +Exceptional flavor complexity with rich, meaty texture that surpasses modern varieties
- +Time-tested genetics proven reliable across diverse growing conditions for 150+ years
Considerations
- -Requires substantial support structures due to 6-8 foot height and heavy pod load
- -Moderate growing difficulty—not ideal for beginning gardeners
- -Susceptible to aphid infestations that can quickly overwhelm tall vines
- -Later harvest than dwarf varieties, requiring longer growing season commitment
- -Heavy feeders that demand rich soil and consistent fertilization
Companion Plants
Carrots and radishes are the companions I'd actually reach for first with Telephone peas. Radishes can be direct-sown at 2-inch spacing right into the pea row — they'll be pulled within 30 days and free up room before the peas need it. Carrots share the bed without much conflict; peas fix nitrogen at root level while carrots feed lower and later in the season, so the two aren't really pulling against each other. Lettuce and spinach work a different angle: they're short-season crops that appreciate the partial shade peas cast around day 40, and they'll finish before summer shuts everything down anyway. French marigolds (Tagetes patula) at the row ends are worth doing — NC State Extension specifically points to that species for nematode suppression, not just as a vague "attract beneficials" gesture.
Onions and garlic are the ones to keep away, and there's a real mechanism behind it: alliums produce sulfur compounds that inhibit the Rhizobium bacteria on pea roots — the same bacteria doing the nitrogen-fixation work you're counting on. A foot or two of separation is probably enough, but I wouldn't mix them in the same row. Gladiolus is a different problem: both it and peas are susceptible to Fusarium oxysporum, so planting them together just gives that pathogen two hosts and a reason to build up in one spot. In our zone 7 Georgia garden, where fusarium pressure in warming April soil is already something you plan around, that pairing isn't worth the convenience.
Plant Together
Carrots
Carrots help break up soil for pea roots and don't compete for nitrogen
Radishes
Quick-growing radishes loosen soil and can be harvested before peas need the space
Lettuce
Provides ground cover to keep soil cool and moist, doesn't compete for nutrients
Spinach
Cool-season companion that benefits from nitrogen fixed by pea roots
Cucumbers
Can climb pea trellises after harvest and benefit from residual nitrogen in soil
Mint
Repels ants and rodents that may eat pea seeds and pods
Marigolds
Deter aphids and other pests while attracting beneficial insects
Chives
Repel aphids and improve overall garden health without competing for space
Keep Apart
Onions
Can inhibit pea growth and nitrogen fixation due to sulfur compounds
Garlic
May stunt pea growth and interfere with beneficial root bacteria
Gladiolus
Competes heavily for nutrients and can inhibit pea pod development
Nutrition Facts
Per 100g serving. % Daily Value based on 2,000 calorie diet. Source: USDA FoodData Central (FDC #170419)
Pests & Disease Resistance
Resistance
Moderate resistance to common pea diseases
Common Pests
Aphids, pea moth, pea weevil, birds
Diseases
Powdery mildew, fusarium wilt, ascochyta blight, root rot
Troubleshooting Telephone
What you'll see, why it happens, and what to do about it.
White powdery coating on leaves and stems, usually appearing once temperatures climb past 70°F and humidity drops
Likely Causes
- Powdery mildew — a fungal disease that thrives in warm, dry conditions with poor airflow
- Crowded planting at less than 3-inch spacing that traps stagnant air around the canopy
What to Do
- 1.Strip and bag the worst-affected leaves — don't compost them
- 2.Apply a diluted neem oil or potassium bicarbonate spray early in the morning so the foliage dries before nightfall
- 3.Accept that late-season peas in the South will get this; plan to pull the planting by the time daytime highs are consistently above 80°F
Plants wilting and yellowing from the base up, roots showing brown discoloration when you pull one and cut it open
Likely Causes
- Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. pisi) — a soil-borne fungus that persists in the bed for years
- Root rot from Pythium or Aphanomyces, typically triggered by waterlogged soil or planting in cold, wet ground before it has drained
What to Do
- 1.Pull and trash affected plants immediately — don't leave them in the bed
- 2.Improve drainage before the next planting; raised beds or 2 inches of compost worked in will help considerably
- 3.Rotate peas out of that bed for at least 3 seasons; NC State Extension notes that heirloom varieties like Telephone lack the disease resistance bred into modern hybrids, so rotation matters more here than it would with a fusarium-resistant selection
Irregular tan or brown blotches on leaves, stems, and pods, sometimes with tiny black dots (pycnidia) visible inside the lesions
Likely Causes
- Ascochyta blight — a fungal complex (Ascochyta pisi and related species) that spreads by seed, rain splash, and infected crop debris
- Wet, cool weather during pod fill, which lands squarely in the March–May window Telephone occupies
What to Do
- 1.Start with clean, disease-free seed — don't save seed from any bed that showed symptoms
- 2.Switch to drip or soaker hose irrigation; overhead watering keeps foliage wet and accelerates spread
- 3.Clear all crop debris at season's end rather than tilling it back in
Frequently Asked Questions
How tall do Telephone peas grow and what support do they need?▼
Are Telephone peas good for container growing?▼
When should I plant Telephone peas?▼
What do Telephone peas taste like compared to modern varieties?▼
How long does it take for Telephone peas to produce?▼
Can beginners successfully grow Telephone peas?▼
Growing Guides from Wind River Greens
Where to Buy Seeds
Sources & References
External authority sources used in compiling this guide.
See the Methodology page for how this data is sourced, what's AI-assisted, and known limitations.