Thursday, November 10, 2016

Those amazing peas

Late in April, I planted peas in the garden. I duly harvested them in early August, and got a modest but delicious haul. On impulse, I decided to try a second planting, even though I knew it was risky in north Idaho since we never know when our first snow will fall.

Well, the peas grew. And grew, and grew, and grew. We've had several frosts, we've had the wettest October on record, we've had howling wind and driving rain and mild sunshine and every other fall weather issue you want to throw this way ... and still the peas are thriving. This planting has grown far healthier and lusher than the spring planting did.

From October 6:



From October 12:



From November 3:



Currently we're having a week of mild temperatures and weak sunshine, a very late Indian summer, and the peas look gorgeous. Well into November, the garden is buttoned up for winter, the beds are mulched and asleep -- and those amazing peas are gorgeous. I mean, look how vigorous and green and healthy these things are, with flowers and pods galore.




The pods, however, are maturing more slowly than they might otherwise in warmer temperatures. I'm not picking them yet because I want them to plump out some more. I suppose I could pick them flat and use them like snow peas, but I prefer to can up the peas themselves, so I'll wait.


Speaking of snow peas, a neighbor gave me a variety of overwintering snow pea. I'm always interested in stuff I can plant in the fall for a summer harvest, so I'll get these in the ground before the snow flies.


Let's hear it for those amazing peas!

11 comments:

  1. Could you describe your watering in more detail? I see drip lines -- are they just hooked to a pressurized faucet, or is there something more to the picture? Do you have to connect and disconnect hoses all the time?

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    1. That's too complicated a question to answer here but would make a good separate blog post. Thank you for the idea.

      - Patrice

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  2. I live about two hours north of you. I find interesting differences in our gardens. My peas froze and died about a month ago. I sure wish we could have your growing season. Meary

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  3. Those late peas reminded me of some spinach I once planted. It had done OK but as luck would have it we moved in a very early spring. So I took a memory stroll through the yard and what to my wondering eye was that. Apparently some of the spinach that stayed behind had seeded itself and so of course I picked it all. It was the very best spinach to ever hit my salad. It was actually crunchy. So after that whenever I plant spinach and it goes to seed, I wait till it is practically crispy dry, I yank it, beat the plants within the bed and move on. I will water regularly, and what do you know, a second harvest. It just doesn't get simpler than that. Those peas look wonderful, what a treat.

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  4. I am soooo jealous! I almost did the same and planted a "fall" crop of peas in August. But the time got away from me and I didn't. Now I really wish I had persevered. Good on you! Next year for us!

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  5. Peas ?
    PEAS ?
    But what about Truuuuump and Cliiiinton
    and faaaiiirness and raaaacism and, and...

    On second thought, thank you .

    - Charlie

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  6. You and definitely blessed. They are beautiful....enjoy

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  7. I plant my green beans around the first of August, & they do wonderful. Less weeds & by the time I pick them it's cooler. Canning is much more pleasant in cooler temperatures!

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  8. I tried that this year but something got every single plant except one. I was so annoyed... I'll have to try again next year--- in a different location, or a raised bed with better fencing, or something...

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  9. Got lucky with peas here this year, also! Planted one 25' bed with half yellow snow peas and half Maestro peas on a short trellis. The west side planted with multi-coloured carrots and the east side planted with 6 varieties of wildly coloured romaine lettuces. As the early peas were dying down, noticed a bunch of cherry tomato volunteer seedlings. So left 4 in the bed and moved some of the others and gave some away. Luckily, some of the seedlings turned out to be SunGold, which we love...and the seeds I had planted for it had failed. Then as fall approached, while picking cherry tomatoes there, noticed a bunch of pea seedlings coming up amongst the tomatoes! It seemed perfectly timed - as the bottoms of the cherry tomatoes started losing their leaves the peas shot up. And since the tomatoes got frosted just last week (Nov. 5 when our average first frost is Sept. 20!), the peas really took off and are flowering now. Gotta love it - 3 successive crops down the middle of one bed and I only planted one!
    PlantLady

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