For Healthy Peas In Hot Weather, Just Add Water!

Article Tools

Image Gallery

Print

E-mail

Comments

RSS

We harvested our first peas May 17 . . . ninety-five days after we'd put the seeds in the ground. The cropping season lasted almost a month sand during that period we harvested 60 pounds of pods, which shelled out to 31 pounds of peas . . . a quarter )pound per square foot! (Not bad for a 10' X 12' patch of what most folks would call desert!) During the height of the season, we were picking and canning every third day. We were overwhelmed.

In self-defense, we finally learned the easy way to shell peas. All you do is hold the pod upside down (curved side up), blossom end away from your body . . , then squeeze the blossom end between thumb and first finger until the pod pops open and—in one quick motion—strip the peas out with your thumb. (Note: This method works well only if the pods have pointed ends, with a small air pocket at the tip. Blue Bantam and Progress No. 9 both have pods that meet this description. We timed ourselves and found that Wando and Little Marvel-which have blunt-ended pods-take almost twice as long to shell.)

After a seemingly endless month of picking, shelling, and canning, our once-healthy vines finally started to turn yellow at the bottom, while the topmost leaves succumbed to a powdery mildew. I picked the plants over one more time . . . then, with a sigh of relief, ripped 'em out of the ground and fed the foliage to the goats.

Peas have found a permanent place in our garden now. We've learned that if you give them well-fertilized soil and plenty of water-huge quantities of water—they'll outyield just about any crop you care to mention . . . even in hot weather!

RSS | Comments | E-mail | Print