lovesblooms said:I'd never heard of hypertendril peas. They do look like fun.

Yes, peas were a great harvest this year. After the first year I planted peas three years ago I was hooked. They've never failed to produce plenty. This year I planted twice as much as usual, and got maybe three gallons of peas.

That is quite a spike in temp, Sandy!

Thomas, I'm going to have to replant okra, too, and my peppers look very very sad, from the cold wet spring. Only two came up among the carrots for some reason. What are you going to plant for fall?

Hi Taqiyyah,

I plan to have two different gardens for this Fall and not sure of what all will be planted. I will have another crop of Tomatoes, Cucumbers and maybe try more Okra. My later plants will include Cabbage, Mustard, Turnips, Collards, Onions and maybe more Peppers. Generally our weather conditions are predictable for Fall planting and no extreme conditions.

Newyorkrita said:

So sorry that many of the plants were beaten to death!!

Hi Rita,

I had gardens go through two different Hurricanes ( Katrina and Rita ) with far less damage than this year with the severe rain storms. I guess it is a result of the timing of the season. The hurricanes came later on in the year and the plants were more mature and stronger. This year so much really heavy rains for such an extended time period took it toll.

Rita
@newyorkrita
I grew those snap peas (sugar magnolia from peace seedlings) this year and they are now my new favorite. We harvested shoots, tendrils and many pea pods. Grew them in winter/early spring and tire then out Memorial Day to make room for summer veggies because it was getting too hot for peas. Another nice thing about them is the purple pods-- easy to find them to harvest.
Also bought Peacevine tomato from them, Geranium Kiss dwarf tomato that I am growing in 5 gallon buckets and these potted dwarf tomato plant make a nice gift to friends/family with no gardens; morfire zinnias, France's choice marigolds, buttercup squash and Peace bell pepper. I love their varieties. I used to buy Peacevine from Seeds of Chsnge, where Alsn Kapuler was one of the founders. So funny that I've been growing varieties developed by this family for almost 25 years.

lovesblooms said:Yes, there really wasn't much between us--but it was plenty enough, seeing as we don't really eat peas any other time during the year except as a last frozen resort, lol.

Three gallons seems like a really nice harvest to me but then I don't know how large your pea patch was. Mine is rather small as it is simply 8 pots. 4 Super Sugar Snaps and 4 Sugar Lace II.

But I am already planning a Fall crop and have ordered seeds of Sugar Sprint. I have enough of Sugar Lace II for a fall planting. And I will use the Sugar Sprint in place of the Super Sugar Snaps.

Oh I wanted to say my harvest was only about 2 quarts so far but they still have some peas on them to grow.

Thomas75 said:

Hi Rita,

I had gardens go through two different Hurricanes ( Katrina and Rita ) with far less damage than this year with the severe rain storms. I guess it is a result of the timing of the season. The hurricanes came later on in the year and the plants were more mature and stronger. This year so much really heavy rains for such an extended time period took it toll.

I guess there is nothing much we can do about mother nature. But still a shame.

SCButtercup said:Rita
@newyorkrita
I grew those snap peas this year and they are now my new favorite. We harvested shoots, tendrils and many pea pods. Grew them in winter/early spring and tire then out Memorial Day to make room for summer veggies because it was getting too hot for peas. Another nice thing about them is the purple pods-- easy to find them to harvest.
Also bought Peacevine tomato from them, Geranium Kiss dwarf tomato that I am growing in 5 gallon buckets and these potted dwarf tomato plant make a nice gift to friends/family with no gardens; morfire zinnias, France's choice marigolds, buttercup squash and Peace bell pepper. I love their varieties. I used to buy Peacevine from Seeds of Chsnge, where Alsn Kapuler was one of the founders. So funny that I've been growing varieties developed by this family for almost 25 years.

I know someone had posted about the Peace Website and I did go look. I think it was probably you. But I was looking for beans, not peas then so didn't need anything. Now that I am thinking peas I am thrilled to have found them.

The thing for me is trying to find room in ground as to where to plant. Those pea vines are really tall. 6-8 feet, wow. So pots really will not work well for them. I Need to think on this a while.

Newyorkrita said:

I admired my trellis for the beans that I set up yesterday. It is planted so we will see how long it takes for the beans to come up. I even made my friend come back to the back yard with me to see my bean trellis when she came over.

So planted last Monday and today the beans I planted along there are coming up. I can't wait till they start to really get growing.

I don't think it will be too long till some of my bush beans have flowers as those are really coming along.

Snap peas. These are soooooo good.

Rita - when do you plan to sow your fall peas? I'm intrigued with growing them in pots and I do have some big empty pots that I can use. I do snow peas as I'm more likely to cook those here. I do have my very first yellow straightneck squash forming, growing in a pot. I'm excited about using more pots for more veggies. My potatoes are forming flower buds in their Smart Pots and my Swiss chard seeds have sprouted in their pot.

Shadegardener said:Rita - when do you plan to sow your fall peas? I'm intrigued with growing them in pots and I do have some big empty pots that I can use. I do snow peas as I'm more likely to cook those here. I do have my very first yellow straightneck squash forming, growing in a pot. I'm excited about using more pots for more veggies. My potatoes are forming flower buds in their Smart Pots and my Swiss chard seeds have sprouted in their pot.

Mid July for my zone. For your zone 5 I would say for sure no later than 1st of July.

For fall peas you have to get your timing just right. Thing is with peas they can take pretty much a lot of cold weather in the fall, the plants will not die. But they will not set a crop once it gets too cold.

Really there is no difference in the way you grow snaps or snow peas.

Thanks for that info! For sure, the soil will be warm enough but I wasn't too sure if it would be too hot Aug/Sep.

Great job on that trellis, Rita! What are the spiky-leaved plants behind it?

I find it really tricky to get the timing right for fall crops... never know how soon it's actually going to get really cold, plus it can be hard to get seeds to start in the mid-summer garden. I find it easier to start them in flats indoors, actually.

Weedwhacker said:Great job on that trellis, Rita! What are the spiky-leaved plants behind it?

I find it really tricky to get the timing right for fall crops... never know how soon it's actually going to get really cold, plus it can be hard to get seeds to start in the mid-summer garden. I find it easier to start them in flats indoors, actually.

Oh those would be gladiolus left over from when those beds were flower beds instead of the veggie beds they are now.

Well for me at least, the peas germinate just fine for the fall crops. Really doesn't matter if it's really hot even, they germinate just fine.

Out of all the trellis set ups I did for the beans this year, I like that one the best. Now I am trying to think just were I could possibly squeeze in some space for fall peas. Not easy as all room is already taken.

The weather here in the great plains has been hot, hot, hot and dry, dry, dry for the last couple of weeks with no relief in sight. The thirty-five varieties of tomatoes are still plugging away with most showing new growth, blossoms and a couple have small fruits beginning. They all got a nice drink in the morning so maybe that will hold them for a few days. Peppers seem to have stopped growing. Of twelve plants, two have small peppers. Cucumbers are up and going, beans are OK, beets are staying small. Out on the farm where the melons have been planted, both watermelons and muskmelons are showing several leaves and are beginning to vine.

The promises of rain in the area just keep getting less and less likely and the temps that were supposed to drop to the 80s are staying in the upper 90s all this week. Stay cool.

Oh my Paul, that sounds too hot and dry.

Weedwacker - I can start the peas indoors, no problem. Can they handle transplanting?

North east TX alert!
If you live in NE TX and have been missing your yard furniture, awning, rototiller, hoses, BBQ, tools, window AC, GARDEN PLANTS, they most likely now belong to my drug addict, unemployed, thieving neighbor. Who steals his water, phone, electricity too. Who actually dug a trench and connected to our water supply. Who has strung a line to his house from the electric pole outside his house. Who had a stolen car for over a year. Who is still free instead of in jail.

texaskitty111 said:North east TX alert!
If you live in NE TX and have been missing your yard furniture, awning, rototiller, hoses, BBQ, tools, window AC, GARDEN PLANTS, they most likely now belong to my drug addict, unemployed, thieving neighbor. Who steals his water, phone, electricity too. Who actually dug a trench and connected to our water supply. Who has strung a line to his house from the electric pole outside his house. Who had a stolen car for over a year. Who is still free instead of in jail.

Oh my!!

So I just went to E-bay and bought 16 feet of green colored plastic netting. It has 4 inch squares. Should work really well for what I need.

Since I discovered those peas from Peace Seedlings I just can't get them out of my mind. Have to grow them therefore have to fix up places for them. I am starting with the most common way I think which is set up a trellis section with the netting and plant a double single row of peas. So a single row on either side of the netting.

I went with plastic netting to use for the peas cause I think it will last multiple seasons and I should be able to pull the peas off somewhat easily once they are done for.

Of course the thing is to have places to plant but I am starting today with a 4 foot foot section that I am fixing up. A spot that I will keep for both spring and fall planting.

So single rows of peas on both sides gives me 8 feet of peas. Sounds like a lot but its not. But its a start. Of course I still have my pots but the in ground with be for new to me peas.

This morning I weeded the backyard cucumber row and then I fixed up a spot and planted a row of bush beans.

Afterward I started on my peas need a spot to be planted project. I decided on this spot on top of the slight slope by my driveway which has daylilies planted on the hillside.



Starting Project



Here it is up top of my hillside daylily garden.



Some rocks needed to be placed to keep soil in place. I had to carrry the rocks one at a time from the backyard where I have an old pile of extra rocks. Good thing I didn't need too many!!



From up top. I also had to schlep dirt to fill in there to make an even surface.

Finished for the day. Still need to put in two posts to hold garden netting. I was too tired to do that today.

It is not a large space but I will be able to squeeze in two rows of peas.