Novella Leafless Pea (Shelling)

Pisum sativum

Also known as: Novella Leafless Pea


A dwarf shelling pea with most of its leaves replaced by tendrils. As the plants grow, the tendrils grip their neighbours, and a block of Novella knits into one self-supporting hedge that needs little or no staking. With fewer leaves, more air moves through the plants and the pods are easy to see. The pods sit mostly near the top, so picking is quick. The peas are sweet, juicy and tender, good fresh from the pod, lightly cooked or frozen for later. The tangle of green tendrils looks good in the garden too. Dwarf, semi-leafless habit — sow in a block so the plants hold each other up.

Days to harvest Around 70 days from sowing
Fruit size Shelling pods held mostly near the top of the plant
Sowing depth 2cm
Germination 7–21 days at soil temperature 5–25°C. Peas prefer cool soil.
Spacing 10cm between plants, rows 50cm apart. Sow in blocks or double rows so the plants can link up.
Aspect Full sun (6+ hours); moist, well-drained soil
Frost tolerance Hardy. Plants handle light frost, but a hard frost can damage flowers and young pods.

Growing notes

A sunny, open spot suits it best. Peas are a cool-season crop and want to flower and fill their pods before the weather turns hot.

Soil preparation: Dig in well-rotted compost before sowing. Peas make their own nitrogen, so skip high-nitrogen fertiliser. A light dressing of lime helps on acidic soil.

Sowing method: Sow direct 2cm deep into moist soil. Don’t water again until the seedlings are up, as seed rots easily in cold, wet ground.

Support: Sown in a block or double row, the plants hold each other up. In windy spots, a low string line or a few short stakes along the edge keep the block upright once it’s heavy with pods.

Containers: A wide pot or trough of 30L or more, sown thickly so the plants can link up, works well.

Watering & feeding: Keep the soil evenly moist, especially once flowering starts. Dry soil at flowering cuts the crop. Water at the base to keep the foliage dry.

Harvest: Pick when pods are plump and well filled but still bright green, before they turn dull or waxy. Pick every couple of days, as regular picking keeps the plants flowering. Shell and eat or freeze soon after picking, because the peas start losing sweetness within hours.

Timing: First pods ready around 70 days from sowing.

Key features

  • Semi-leafless plants, with most leaves replaced by tendrils
  • Plants self-support when sown in a block
  • Pods held near the top of the plant, quick to pick
  • Sweet, juicy, tender shelling peas
  • Open growth lets air through, helping keep disease down
  • Compact enough for small beds and large pots

Short season tips


Peas need cool weather rather than a long warm season. In Coonabarabran and similar inland zones, sow from March to May for a late-winter to spring crop, or again in July–August for a spring harvest. Time sowings so the pods fill before late-spring heat, which ends pea production quickly.

  • Spring
  • Fall
  • Winter

Annual

  • Carrots, radish, lettuce, spinach, cucumber, corn
  • Onions, garlic, leeks, chives, fennel


Peas are one of the oldest cultivated crops, first grown in the Near East and Mediterranean thousands of years ago. Semi-leafless peas like Novella come from later twentieth-century breeding, which used a natural mutation that turns most of the leaflets into tendrils. The result was a pea that holds itself up and suits small gardens. It’s open-pollinated, so seed saved from the best plants grows true. Novella’s exact breeder and release date aren’t publicly documented.