Starting a Garden - Yes Peas!

Have you ever considered gardening, but were too intimidated? Afraid that you will kill everything? It is easier than it seems to grow healthy, fresh food and you don’t even need a lot of space. Springtime is the best time to start planning what you would like to grow and where.

If this is your first garden, aim for plants that are easy to grow and easy to take care of. Here are a few plants that I would recommend for first time gardeners. Growing these sure fire crops this year will give you the confidence to try other crops in the future years.

Peas

Peas are one of the first crops that you can harvest each season. Fresh grown peas are as delicious as they are healthy. Peas are good source of fiber, vitamin K, potassium and zinc. Plant pea seeds directly into the soil in mid-spring. Peas are frost tolerant and do not like the summer heat. Once the soil is no longer frozen you can plant peas. It is important to get your peas into the ground early enough, so they have enough time to complete their growing season. To speed germination, soak seeds in water the night before. Peas do not really like to be transplanted, so it is best to sow them directly into the soil about 1” down. They prefer a well-drained soil, as they do not like to be overwatered. They are ready to harvest in about 60-70 days (see seed package for specific variety). Harvesting will also be different depending on the variety of pea that you grew.

Shelling or garden peas are ready to harvest when they are plump, smooth and still glossy. You will remove the shell of these peas to cook and eat the peas inside. Great for freezing! A couple varieties to try:

‘Tom Thumb’ (great for small spaces)

‘Lincoln’ (disease resistant)

‘Little Marvel’ (great for containers)

‘Alaska’ (large yields)

Snap peas are sweet right from the garden, snap peas are generally consumed by eating the entire pod raw, although they can be steamed or sautéed. Look for peas that are 2-3 inches long with seeds that small and immature. But don’t worry if you let them get too big, they can always be shelled and cooked. Varieties to try:

‘Sugar snap’

‘Early snap’ (matures 1-2 weeks sooner than sugar snap)

‘Sugar Anne’ (only grows about 24”, so good for containers)

Snow Peas have flat edible pods, often seen in Asian dishes. These peas tend to need more time to mature than snap or garden peas. A couple of varieties to try:

‘Green beauty’ (full of vitamin C)

‘Golden sweet’ (beautiful purple flowers)

Many varieties need a trellis or staking as they grow, however, peas can also be grown in containers. Look for a bush variety to try in your container. No matter which pea you try, you will not be disappointed by the fresh from the garden taste.

Note This!

One way to get a jump on germination-remove the cap of a 16oz water bottle. Cut the bottle in half. Recycle the bottom half. Place the top half (without the cap) over your planted pea seed. This acts like a mini greenhouse and warms the soil enough to get it started. Once your plants have germinated, remove the top of the bottle and recycle and let your peas do their thing.