Natural Girl wrote:
....
I
was wondering just how close you can plant peas and not be too close?

i plant them four inches apart. if there are
any large gaps where seeds don't sprout i stick
a few in to fill, but mostly what happens is
they grow all over each other anyways. i think
they generally work like soybeans in that the
plants will limit each other to a certain level
of production based upon soil nutrients, water,
sunlight and trellis space (if used).

as of yet i've not had a poor germination rate,
but certain peas seem to grow better in different
soils. one of the large pod varieties (OSPII) i
have didn't do well in the heavy clay area i
planted them to start, but i'll try them again
this season in a more regular garden soil area.

i have a generic soup pea (good for fresh peas,
pea pods and then the dried peas) which does very
well in both clay and regular garden soil. it's
also nice in that it has tons of tendrils so it
will self-support if planted in blocks. as it
grows it looks like a pile of green steel wool as
the leaves are on the stem, but are dominated by
the tendrils.

the other three varieties of peas/pea pods i've
grown seem to be ok for heavy clay, i haven't yet
tested them in regular garden soil.

so far my list of varieties is:

Dwarf Grey Sugar Pod
Early Alaska
Little Marvel
Oregon Sugar Pod II
Soup Pea

i'll likely continue to try more varieties out as
i come across them (i'm sure there are many).

good luck


songbird

On 4/30/2013 12:03 AM, songbird wrote:
Natural Girl wrote:
...
I
was wondering just how close you can plant peas and not be too close?

i plant them four inches apart. if there are
any large gaps where seeds don't sprout i stick
a few in to fill, but mostly what happens is
they grow all over each other anyways. i think
they generally work like soybeans in that the
plants will limit each other to a certain level
of production based upon soil nutrients, water,
sunlight and trellis space (if used).

as of yet i've not had a poor germination rate,
but certain peas seem to grow better in different
soils. one of the large pod varieties (OSPII) i
have didn't do well in the heavy clay area i
planted them to start, but i'll try them again
this season in a more regular garden soil area.

i have a generic soup pea (good for fresh peas,
pea pods and then the dried peas) which does very
well in both clay and regular garden soil. it's
also nice in that it has tons of tendrils so it
will self-support if planted in blocks. as it
grows it looks like a pile of green steel wool as
the leaves are on the stem, but are dominated by
the tendrils.

the other three varieties of peas/pea pods i've
grown seem to be ok for heavy clay, i haven't yet
tested them in regular garden soil.

so far my list of varieties is:

Dwarf Grey Sugar Pod
Early Alaska
Little Marvel
Oregon Sugar Pod II
Soup Pea

i'll likely continue to try more varieties out as
i come across them (i'm sure there are many).

good luck


songbird


I looked at my peas yesterday and new seeds have now sprouted that I
planted in between the spaces of the other peas. I don't remember the
variety I planted, though, but they were tastey eaten right off the
plant! That's about as much room as I had for peas.. just enough for me
to eat some here or there .. not enough to cook a plateful.

How much do you plant?

--
Natural Girl

Natural Girl wrote:
songbird wrote:
....
Dwarf Grey Sugar Pod
Early Alaska
Little Marvel
Oregon Sugar Pod II
Soup Pea

I looked at my peas yesterday and new seeds have now sprouted that I
planted in between the spaces of the other peas. I don't remember the
variety I planted, though, but they were tastey eaten right off the
plant! That's about as much room as I had for peas.. just enough for me
to eat some here or there .. not enough to cook a plateful.

How much do you plant?

around 3,000-5,000sq ft. depending upon
how you count it. if you count spaces that
get weeded or have to be kept after then it
comes to around an acre, but not all of that
space is veggie gardens or even planted. a
large part is mulched with either wood chips
or limestone and decorated with rocks or
whatever...

this morning i planted one 10x10 garden with
30ft of soup peas (in the middle so i don't
have to get at those very often) and then out
side of those i have rows of beets and onions.
on very edges i have about 80ft of dwarf grey
sugar pods. i have so many seeds of these from
last year that i'll use them as a cover crop.
we really like snacking on them. used 40lbs
of worms/worm poo in a layer underneath the
beets and onions. this evening i raised up a
part of another garden so i can get it settled
in and planted next week.

those are about 1/30th of the space i have to
prep and plant with annual veggies (tomatoes,
beans, more peas, dry beans, peppers, more onions
and beets, turnips, edamame soybeans, cucumbers,
squash, melons... then keep up with the herbs,
strawberries, rhubarb and some things i'm sure
i'm forgetting.

plus there are other gardens and decorative
spaces. i don't do too much with annual flowers
(cosmos and flax) but Ma has a few gardens she
seeds in. most of my efforts are aimed at the
edibles, spring bulbs and redesigning the landscape.
we have almost two acres -- almost half that is
gardens or decorations, the rest is wild spots,
trees, shrubs or ditches.


songbird

On 5/4/2013 1:23 AM, songbird wrote:
Natural Girl wrote:
songbird wrote:
...
Dwarf Grey Sugar Pod
Early Alaska
Little Marvel
Oregon Sugar Pod II
Soup Pea

I looked at my peas yesterday and new seeds have now sprouted that I
planted in between the spaces of the other peas. I don't remember the
variety I planted, though, but they were tastey eaten right off the
plant! That's about as much room as I had for peas.. just enough for me
to eat some here or there .. not enough to cook a plateful.

How much do you plant?

around 3,000-5,000sq ft. depending upon
how you count it. if you count spaces that
get weeded or have to be kept after then it
comes to around an acre, but not all of that
space is veggie gardens or even planted. a
large part is mulched with either wood chips
or limestone and decorated with rocks or
whatever...

this morning i planted one 10x10 garden with
30ft of soup peas (in the middle so i don't
have to get at those very often) and then out
side of those i have rows of beets and onions.
on very edges i have about 80ft of dwarf grey
sugar pods. i have so many seeds of these from
last year that i'll use them as a cover crop.
we really like snacking on them. used 40lbs
of worms/worm poo in a layer underneath the
beets and onions. this evening i raised up a
part of another garden so i can get it settled
in and planted next week.

those are about 1/30th of the space i have to
prep and plant with annual veggies (tomatoes,
beans, more peas, dry beans, peppers, more onions
and beets, turnips, edamame soybeans, cucumbers,
squash, melons... then keep up with the herbs,
strawberries, rhubarb and some things i'm sure
i'm forgetting.

plus there are other gardens and decorative
spaces. i don't do too much with annual flowers
(cosmos and flax) but Ma has a few gardens she
seeds in. most of my efforts are aimed at the
edibles, spring bulbs and redesigning the landscape.
we have almost two acres -- almost half that is
gardens or decorations, the rest is wild spots,
trees, shrubs or ditches.

wow .. you're garden is much larger than mine is... Do you do organic
gardening? That's been my passion for a long time!

--
Natural Girl

Natural Girl wrote:
....
wow .. you're garden is much larger than mine is... Do you do organic
gardening? That's been my passion for a long time!

yes, i think i'm on year four now where
i've been using other methods. some losses
here or there, but we've worked around
or left things be and it went ok in time.


songbird

On 5/4/2013 8:47 PM, songbird wrote:
Natural Girl wrote:
...
wow .. you're garden is much larger than mine is... Do you do organic
gardening? That's been my passion for a long time!

yes, i think i'm on year four now where
i've been using other methods. some losses
here or there, but we've worked around
or left things be and it went ok in time.


songbird


Do you have a favorite organic method?

--
Natural Girl

Natural Girl wrote:
songbird wrote:
Natural Girl wrote:
...
wow .. you're garden is much larger than mine is... Do you do organic
gardening? That's been my passion for a long time!

yes, i think i'm on year four now where
i've been using other methods. some losses
here or there, but we've worked around
or left things be and it went ok in time.

Do you have a favorite organic method?

yes, do nothing, often enough problems will
sort themselves out. plants do have defenses.

observation and patience are good things
to practice.

that said, hand-picking bugs off plants is
sometimes needed (especially tomato worms).
japanese beetles i'll pick and smush and leave
on the stepping stones for the birds (hoping
to train them to eat them off the plants ).

i haven't had to do anything for aphids or
flea beetles yet. having perennial plants that
hold over the ladybugs seems to keep them around.
we do lose some leaves to the fireflies when
they come out. for the flea beetles the beans
outgrew the problem, only had troubles with
the bottom leaves. for tomato fungi, catching
it early and pulling leaves, using mulches to
control splashing (once the ground is warm
enough), etc.

there's really no one method that works for
everything, but keeping your eyes peeled and
spending some time observing will help. asking
others for help is ok too. if you got some
old codger that's spent 40 years in the gardens
and seems to be getting good results in all
different kinds of conditions then they are
someone you want as a friend.

burying things to rot under enough dirt is
a good way to compost something without having
to get fancy or expensive. using underneath
spaces to store materials for later can help
in low spots. free compost is sometimes best
avoided (if you don't see it beforehand and
know the conditions where it was produced it
can be a disaster).

looks like the strawberries are starting to
bloom. last year they were blooming by March 11.

and we're back to a normal spring drought
after having too much rain. the farmers can
get things planted at last. good for them.
not a regular rain in some days. gotta water
the newly seeded garden.

took some pics from the roof today when i
was sealing up the stonework fireplace. if
they turned out i can use them to replace the
older ones i have online.

uhg, i think i'll take a nap. observing
the insides of one's own eyelids is often
refreshing.


songbird

On 5/5/2013 6:44 PM, songbird wrote:
Natural Girl wrote:
songbird wrote:
Natural Girl wrote:
...
wow .. you're garden is much larger than mine is... Do you do organic
gardening? That's been my passion for a long time!

yes, i think i'm on year four now where
i've been using other methods. some losses
here or there, but we've worked around
or left things be and it went ok in time.

Do you have a favorite organic method?

yes, do nothing, often enough problems will
sort themselves out. plants do have defenses.

observation and patience are good things
to practice.

that said, hand-picking bugs off plants is
sometimes needed (especially tomato worms).
japanese beetles i'll pick and smush and leave
on the stepping stones for the birds (hoping
to train them to eat them off the plants ).

i haven't had to do anything for aphids or
flea beetles yet. having perennial plants that
hold over the ladybugs seems to keep them around.
we do lose some leaves to the fireflies when
they come out. for the flea beetles the beans
outgrew the problem, only had troubles with
the bottom leaves. for tomato fungi, catching
it early and pulling leaves, using mulches to
control splashing (once the ground is warm
enough), etc.

there's really no one method that works for
everything, but keeping your eyes peeled and
spending some time observing will help. asking
others for help is ok too. if you got some
old codger that's spent 40 years in the gardens
and seems to be getting good results in all
different kinds of conditions then they are
someone you want as a friend.

burying things to rot under enough dirt is
a good way to compost something without having
to get fancy or expensive. using underneath
spaces to store materials for later can help
in low spots. free compost is sometimes best
avoided (if you don't see it beforehand and
know the conditions where it was produced it
can be a disaster).

looks like the strawberries are starting to
bloom. last year they were blooming by March 11.

and we're back to a normal spring drought
after having too much rain. the farmers can
get things planted at last. good for them.
not a regular rain in some days. gotta water
the newly seeded garden.

took some pics from the roof today when i
was sealing up the stonework fireplace. if
they turned out i can use them to replace the
older ones i have online.

uhg, i think i'll take a nap. observing
the insides of one's own eyelids is often
refreshing.


Thanks for all the ideas and advice, songbird. I'll try to remember what
you said.

--
Natural Girl