Garden Notes

Snow peas growing near garden fence for support

We all know that peas are a cool-season crop and may be planted as soon as the soil can be worked. They are a great crop for beginners and can grown in a variety of soils if you provide good drainage. It is always one of the first vegetables I plant in the spring and I am careful to locate them near the edge of the garden so they can use the surrounding fence for support. For many years I have been planting the peas directly into the garden soil. I make a small furrow about an inch deep, plant the peas and cover them with soil, water them in and wait. Some years they come up and do very well. Other years only some of the plants germinate and I have to replant. It is very frustrating.

One of my sisters has a different method. She plants her peas in small pots and then transplants the small seedlings into the garden when they are about 3 inches tall. She of course likes her method better and when we compare notes about our gardens, I have been tempted to try her method.

Last year I experimented with three test groups using different systems of planting peas. The three test groups all used snow peas and sugar snap peas and all of the groups were started on the same day.

• The first group had seeds planted first in pots and transplanted later as seedlings.
• The second group had seeds planted directly into the ground.
• The third group had seeds soaked in water for 24 hours until they were plumped up and then planted into garden furrows like the second group.

The first group grew nicely in their pots, but suffered a bit of transplant shock when they were added to the garden and grew slower. The second group grew, but once again some of the seeds failed to come up and I am still not sure why. The seeds in the third group emerged much earlier than the seeds planted directly from the seed package and they were off to a head start. Also this third group had a much better germination rate. At the end of the growing season, my sister and I evaluated the three experimental pea crops. The third group was the clear winner in my garden based on germination rate and peas actually produced for eating.

So based on last year’s experiment, I will be soaking my peas before planting them again this year.