Pea Planting Time Is Here
The snow is finally melting and it will soon be pea planting time here in
Vermont. As soon as the soil is ready to work, I'll be getting them in the
ground. How will I know when that is? I'll grab a handful of soil and squeeze
it into a ball, then give it a flick with my finger. If the ball remains in a
clump, I'll know it is still too wet. But if it breaks apart, I'm good to go.
Although pea plants are hardy and can take some frost, sometimes the peas seeds rot in the cool, damp soil before they can germinate. To increase my chances of success, I will pre-germinate my peas. I'll wrap the pea seeds in a moist paper towel, then keep it in a warm, dark spot for a few days. As soon as I see the tiny root beginning to emerge, I'll pop the seeds into the garden.
I usually plant tall peas varieties that need some sort of support to climb up. I've made a trellis with a wood frame onto which I tie untreated twine. Then, when the peas are finished, I don't have to untangle the vines from the trellis - I can simply put the vines and the twine into the compost pile together to decompose. I make sure the trellis is in place before I plant my seeds, so there's no chance of disturbing the young seedlings later on. If you don't want to be bothered with a trellis, you can plant lower growing bush peas in wide rows - they'll support themselves. Plant the seeds about an inch deep and 4 inches apart for tall varieties. Bush peas can be planted about 2 inches apart.
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