Giving it a Go
A long time ago, someone told me that if you cut peas back after they have produced, they will regrow and produce more peas. There must be something about the timing of this, because I always cut my peas back to leave the roots in the ground for nitrogen for the following crop (usually cucumbers since they’re heavy feeders and need the support). They don’t usually grow up again.
This year, I waited a bit longer than usual, and I noticed that the peas were starting to regrow from the base. I figured this must be the ticket, a little bit of fresh growth to feed the roots so they will resurrect.
I’ll keep you posted on how they do, I may get another flush of fall peas from these vines, they may not do anything. If they do produce again, I’ll be interested to see the yield. It certainly would be convenient to get a second crop of peas from one packet of seeds.
Have you ever done this or heard of this? Was it successful?
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A Winner
I mentioned a few weeks ago that I planted a new variety of pea, ‘Sienna’ from Johnny’s Seeds. Around here, I’ve mostly grown heirloom peas, so this variety was a first for me. Overall, I’m really happy with it. All the pods came ripe at the same time, allowing me to harvest the entire row, pull the plants, and replace with something else. These peas are kind of like determinate tomatoes, very convenient if you want to process them all at once.
It was nice to harvest all of them and not have to be picking peas every couple days. Processing them all at once for the freezer was also very convenient, no small batches to process every week or so. If you’re growing peas for freezing, I highly recommend giving ‘Sienna’ a try. I also appreciate that they are ready to pull from the garden a month or so ahead of ‘Green Arrow’, which means by the time I’m pulling the other variety, I’m already going to be harvesting lettuce from the space where the ‘Sienna’ peas were growing. If you have a small garden, maximizing space is a great reason to consider this variety.
Are you growing any new varieties this year? Do you love them or prefer others?
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Out With The Old
The strawberry patch was in need of removal last year, which didn’t happen because I spent too much time traveling in the spring/early summer. I started pulling the plants last fall, but didn’t get that far. Now that strawberry season it over, all the crowns are being removed to make way for other produce.
We will still have strawberries, they will just be in raised beds in the new soft fruit section of the main garden. I purchased 50 new crowns this spring. We also have a few ‘Old North Sea’ strawberry crowns that will be transplanted and propagated. Next year we will have a small harvest, but the following years should be decent. We are looking to reduce the number of strawberries but add other soft fruits, like red and black raspberries, currants, and blueberries.
Do you grow strawberries in your garden?
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Sienna Peas
I’ve always grown ‘Green Arrow’ or ‘Little Marvel’, this year I was low on seed and decided to try ‘Sienna’ from Johnny’s Seeds.
So far, I’m quite impressed. They vines are loaded with flowers and small peas. It looks like they will produce peas about 2 weeks ahead of the ‘Little Marvel’ I have planted in half the row. The proof, of course, will be in the flavor. I’ll let you know when that time comes, which looks like possibly next week.
Do you grow English peas in the garden? What’s your favorite variety?
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The Chicory Patch
Chicories are notoriously difficult to grow, they can be overly bitter if the weather is too warm, or really tough if not blanched. They are picky about the amount of water that hits their leaves and will turn into a slimy mass if it’s too wet. Even though I’ve had my share of failures, that doesn’t stop me from growing a variety of endive, escarole, and radicchio each year.
My various spring started chicories are looking particularly great this year. I’ll be starting to harvest them this week. This year I’m attempting to blanch the endives under terra-cotta pots. This should help keep them drier to avoid any browning and sliming.
Even though we don’t always get fresh chicories from the garden, I always grow them in part because they are beautiful plants. Some years they are inedibly bitter for the humans, but the chickens always find them delicious. I find that the newer hybrid varieties do much better in the garden, they’re often bred to withstand less than perfect conditions with a bit more grace. I’ve had much better success since transitioning to varieties from Johnny’s Seeds.
What are some of your most loved difficult to grow vegetables?
