Yes, I am taking my fourth stab at growing peas.
Year 1 – Peas drowned in a pasture-turned-garden that we thought would be great for growing things (taking advantage of the previous occupant’s fertilizer). The pasture turned out to be a swamp. Way too much rain + miry clay soil = no peas.
Year 2, Spring – Ground too wet in early spring. Didn’t plow new garden plot (on higher ground) until June. Late June tilling + hot June weather = no peas.
Year 2, Fall – Tried planting peas in the Fall. Yes, you can do this if you get them in the ground at just the right time…not too soon, or they’ll roast…not too late, or they’ll freeze. (Peas are very picky!) Too late planting + two-week fall vacation (read: no weeding) = very few peas.
I have it on good authority (my father, who’s a master gardner) that you should get peas in the ground before Good Friday. So on the first warm, sunny day of spring, I set my husband to tilling…which he did with little joy but no complaints!
Next, it was off to the nursery for straw, and then the girls and I set to work on laying out our squares. (We think Mel Bartholomew’s Square Foot Gardening method is fabulous. Plus, it’s great way for kids to experiment with growing different kinds of vegetables and take ownership of their own little “plot” of ground.)
We beat the thunderstorms and planted 152 Mammoth Melting Peas and 143 Sugar Daddy Peas. Will keep you posted on the progress of this latest venture!