Planting Peas
One bite of homegrown peas and you'll understand why they're called "nature's candy."
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Early varieties produce a harvest in less than two months.Topics of Interest
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When the snow has just melted, and there's still a nip in the air, it's time to plant peas. They are a cool-season crop; they'll even withstand a frost or two.
Once you've picked a variety, plant your peas when the forsythia is in bloom or when the soil temperature is between 40 and 45 degrees. They thrive in an area that gets full sun and has well-drained, rich soil.
There are a couple of things you can do to boost germination. If your soil is lacking nutrients, dust the pea seeds with an inoculant. This will give them a nitrogen fix and help them grow quickly. Also, soak the seeds overnight.
Many peas are climbers, so you need to plant them next to a structure. Use a pencil to create a tiny hole about an inch deep, every 2 inches. This makes it easy to drop the seed inside and cover them up.
Peas are thirsty plants, so keep them well-watered especially when they start blooming. Add a layer of mulch to keep the soil cool and the weeds out. This will help extend your harvest by two to three weeks. In about two months, you'll be harvesting nature's sweet candy.
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