Since I injured my rib, the pain has interfered and I've fallen behind on just about everything. I'm finally better and able to do actual work, maybe even writing.
Peas are one of the earliest seeds you can plant in the garden, and one of the first garden crops ready for harvest. I aggravated my injury in order to get a first planting in and I hope it will be worth it this year.
The area I chose for my first row of peas was compacted. Last year it was part of the main walkway, which was covered with good shredded leaf mulch. I gave the row a shallow tilling, working in an inch of compost while I was at it. I watered the row thoroughly and left it overnight to soak in and moisten the soil..
I decided to plant Australian Field Peas in my first row. The field peas are more of a cover crop, sometimes grown for animal feed. They are good fresh, although not as sweet as some peas and they make good pea soup. The main reason I planted these is for their ability to fix nitrogen in the soil from the air, although I do love fresh peas.
For a companion crop I chose a variety of Daikon radish. I like Daikon peeled and sliced on a veggie tray, but it also has benefits in the garden. Daikon makes a good cover crop because it produces roots up to three feet deep, which pull nutrients up from below and loosen the soil. The radish can be left in the ground at the end of the summer to decompose and feed the soil.
In order to help the peas fix nitrogen, I used a soil inoculant I bought online from Gardens Alive. The inoculant will stimulate the formation of nitrogen fixing nodules on the pea roots. After the season I will leave the pea plants to compost in place.
I used a stick to poke holes an inch deep and eight inches apart, and added a half teaspoon of inoculant to each hole. I dropped a pea into each hole and filled it, gently tamping the soil. Next, I planted a radish seed half an inch deep, in a row a few inches from the peas. There's no hard and fast rule about planting radishes with peas, but the radish is deep rooted, while the pea is more shallow.
The peas and radishes will provide variety from the garden and further my goal of improving the soil. My next planting will be Snow Peas and I will put them in a wide row with carrots and beets.
It's exciting getting some seeds into the soil and now I will keep them watered and watch for the first sprout to appear.
Stephen
Peas are one of the earliest seeds you can plant in the garden, and one of the first garden crops ready for harvest. I aggravated my injury in order to get a first planting in and I hope it will be worth it this year.
The area I chose for my first row of peas was compacted. Last year it was part of the main walkway, which was covered with good shredded leaf mulch. I gave the row a shallow tilling, working in an inch of compost while I was at it. I watered the row thoroughly and left it overnight to soak in and moisten the soil..
I decided to plant Australian Field Peas in my first row. The field peas are more of a cover crop, sometimes grown for animal feed. They are good fresh, although not as sweet as some peas and they make good pea soup. The main reason I planted these is for their ability to fix nitrogen in the soil from the air, although I do love fresh peas.
For a companion crop I chose a variety of Daikon radish. I like Daikon peeled and sliced on a veggie tray, but it also has benefits in the garden. Daikon makes a good cover crop because it produces roots up to three feet deep, which pull nutrients up from below and loosen the soil. The radish can be left in the ground at the end of the summer to decompose and feed the soil.
In order to help the peas fix nitrogen, I used a soil inoculant I bought online from Gardens Alive. The inoculant will stimulate the formation of nitrogen fixing nodules on the pea roots. After the season I will leave the pea plants to compost in place.
I used a stick to poke holes an inch deep and eight inches apart, and added a half teaspoon of inoculant to each hole. I dropped a pea into each hole and filled it, gently tamping the soil. Next, I planted a radish seed half an inch deep, in a row a few inches from the peas. There's no hard and fast rule about planting radishes with peas, but the radish is deep rooted, while the pea is more shallow.
The peas and radishes will provide variety from the garden and further my goal of improving the soil. My next planting will be Snow Peas and I will put them in a wide row with carrots and beets.
It's exciting getting some seeds into the soil and now I will keep them watered and watch for the first sprout to appear.
Stephen
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