Peas Please

Today I put some peas in the ground. Snap peas to eat whole, and shelling peas, well to shell. Peas are great because after a long winter of greens and root vegetables, peas are the first vegetable that reminds me of the succulent treats of summer. They're crunchy and juicy and so much fun to eat as you garden. The plants grow quickly, especially as the weather warms. The vines are vigorous and almost creature like as their tendrils reach out to climb onto anything in their paths. And the flowers are beautiful.

I soaked the pea seeds overnight to give them a little head start, and I coated them with inoculant, which helps the peas get nitrogen from the atmosphere. The inoculant contains a bacteria that aids this process. It comes in a powder and you can coat the moistened peas with it, or add it to the soil in which they will be planted.

You can also pre sprout the peas on a paper towel and once they have a root you can plant them in the ground or in a container. This method helps if your soil is still pretty cold.

Good companion plants for peas include Bush Beans, Pole Beans, Carrots, Corn Cucumber, Radish, Turnips. But keep them away from Onion, Garlic, Leeks. These are not good neighbors for peas.

They will definitely need something to support them as they grow; to keep the pea pods off the ground and so the peas can be harvested at a comfortable height. So building a trellis or teepee will be on my list of chores.