Garden tips for Planting Peas, Radishes and Leafy Greens...

The weather has been slightly nicer this week...at least nice enough to work outside. The kids and I have been busy cleaning up the yard and garden, getting it ready for the upcoming gardening season. I am really anxious to see more green around me...I'm tired of bare trees and grey skies. David and I got the tractor out and tilled the garden this week. I was able to complete the first phase of garden planting over the past few days. Peas (five different varieties), radishes, and all of my leafy greens (arugula, spinach, buttercrunch lettuce, mesclun mix, mustard mix, Ithaca head lettuce, iceberg lettuce and Romaine lettuce) are now in the ground. These crops thrive in cool weather and are happier, healthier plants when you plant them early in the spring rather than waiting until you plant the rest of your garden (which for my climate, usually happens the end of May/first part of June). I'm looking forward to those delicious peas and fresh greens for making salads. For my garden friends, here are a few tips I have found for growing cool weather crops...

Peas are one of my favorite garden crops. I love to sneak a few straight from the pods for a snack when I'm weeding. We love to make creamed peas and potatoes and blanch/freeze extra peas for use during the cold winter months. My children love to help pick the peas and shell them as well. It is a great way to get kids involved in gardening. 

Gardening Tips for Planting Peas

1. Peas can be planted as soon as the ground is workable in the spring. They are very hearty and actually prefer cooler weather.

2. Soak pea seeds in water overnight before planting. This helps them germinate faster.

3. Plant peas in a location where they receive full sun, and where the soil drains well. Peas cannot tolerate dense/wet soil. Till soil well before planting.

4. Even though most planting directions will advise you to plant peas 3"-4" apart, I usually plant mine much closer and thin them out later. If you space them 3"-4" apart, and several seeds don't germinate, you'll have empty spots. I usually only leave a 1.5"-2" space between each plant.

5. I like to go back to my pea row in several weeks and plant another round of peas (I just push them down in between some of the older plants) so that I can have a longer cycle of pea production. You can also buy different varieties of seeds...some varieties are earlier producers than others, and there are also pea varieties that tolerate more heat, so you can have them later in the season.

6. Pea seeds should have about 1/2" of water per week. Once the plants start to grow and flower, they will need about 1" per week. 

7. Peas benefit from having a trellis or something they can grow up and support themselves on. We use hog/cattle panels that we cut in half, and we stake them with metal fence posts, attaching the the panels to the posts with zip ties. We use these panels in our garden for so many purposes, and the best part is that you can reuse them every year. 

8. I have been told by old-time gardeners that you should never plant peas in the same location as the year before, so I rotate them to a different location in my garden each year (actually, I do this with most of my plant varieties).

Even though I love plain-old Iceberg and Romaine lettuce, I also like to have a variety of greens to mix into a delicious spring or early summer salad. I enjoy growing a variety of different leafy greens. Growing your own lettuce and greens is easier than you think!

Gardening Tips for planting Lettuce & Leafy Greens

1. Like peas, leafy greens prefer cooler weather, so seeds should be planted in early spring when ground is workable. 

2. Leafy greens need loose soil that is well tilled and free of large dirt clumps. Soil should be full of organic matter. During our fall and winter months, we always clean out our chicken coop and put all the contents of straw and chicken manure on our garden. We spread it out and till it in, and it seems to work wonders for our garden. I have read that chicken manure is twice as rich as horse manure.

3. Because the seeds are so small, I usually smooth an area with my hand, place seeds in desired location, and then sprinkle loose dirt over the tops so that the seeds don't get covered with too much soil. Each variety has different planting instructions, so follow directions. Again, I always plant a little closer than instructed, and thin out the plants later so that I allow for a few seeds that don't germinate.

4. Leafy greens should be successively planted, so again, I plant seeds in early spring, and then plant again about a month or so later so that I don't have everything ready to eat all at once. 

5. Leafy greens should be harvested before they get too large and start to flower. You want young delicate leafs for the best taste. Some varieties allow you to cut, and they will regrow...others are done once you cut them off.

6. I like to grown head lettuce (just like you buy at the grocery store) in my garden, and have had wonderful results. I really enjoy Ithaca Head Lettuce and Iceberg Lettuce.

I'll admit that I am not a huge fan of radishes. I don't mind them, but they aren't my favorite. I still like to grow a few in my garden, and do I dare admit this...I grow them mostly for my chickens :) Radishes are a breeze to grown, so why not???

Gardening Tips for Planting Radishes

1. Again, radishes are like peas and greens...they enjoy cool weather, so plant as soon as the ground is workable in the spring.

2. Choose a location where the soil is well drained and till the soil 6"-10" . Radishes also thrive with rich compost or manure tilled into the soil.

3. Plant seeds about 1" apart and once they begin to grown, thin to 3" apart. This is very important, because the vegetable growns underground, and if you don't allow enough room for growth, the vegetables will intertwine or become deformed. 

Comments

[Pea Sheller]

I remember my grandfather always being sure to rotate his peas every year. He never told me why you should rotate them. Hmmm...I am now curious. If you ever hear the reason I'd love to read about it. Thanks for sharing the pea tips, I'll have to print them out so I'll have them for my first veggie garden next year. (wish it was this year, but just too much going on to give a garden the attention it deserves).

[Stephanie]

Thanks for taking the time to write this post! I planted a garden a few years ago and failed miserably. Maybe I'll give it another try. Thanks again!

[DarlaLOU]

Thanks for all the tips! I have tried to garden a little in the past without much success. This year I'll have my first official big backyard garden - I am really excited! I have been buying seeds and getting some ready to pre-plant indoors but overall am going to wing this! Thanks for the ideas and suggestions - you rock!
PS any tips on raspberries???
THANKS!
Darla

[Laura Beek]

I love your garden photos! My goal this year is to actually get a photo of myself in my garden that I'm okay with scrapbooking and posting on my blog. I don't look cute when I'm gardening so it'll have to be after I've cleaned up. It'll be my fourth summer to have a garden. I was an Army brat and we just didn't have gardens growing up. It's been a lifelong dream. I took horticulture classes at BYU Idaho back when it was Ricks. Thanks for the tips on peas - I learned something I didn't know. I am going to try Oregon sugar pods because I like to eat the entire pod and they are bigger than the early greys. What are the brands you like and why? Which peas can you plant later? We also use the cattle panels and they are fabulous. We just used bolt cutters and cut of the bottom rung and then stick them into the soil, but the posts might help with the wind we get - thanks for the idea. Do you have sandy or clay soil?

[Jeanne]

This is good to know because I have some lettuce I started from seed (with the stuff you suggested in your other post a little bit ago) as well as some peas and I was uncertain when to put them out. I knew they could tolerate colder weather, but still wasn't sure when.I just need a spot now... I really want to make some planter boxes but I don't know if it's going to get done soon enough with my other to do's. Hope they hang in there. What about wax beans- I have a couple of shoots that are taller than the peas now only after a few days. They seems so sturdy I was wondering if they could be put outside now too?
I planted all of this stuff and now I don't know what to do... I don't have the next stage ready!!! This is why I usually only think about a garden, because I get ahead of myself.

[Andrea*O]

Ooh thanks for these tips! I have just bought lots of seeds and my hubby and I are currently giving our small garden a makeover. So this is great inspiration for me! I have followed your blog for years now & it's my favourite. Thanks for sharing x

[cherrie]

I have been following your blog for about a month now, and have to say it is one of my favs. I am so glad you post this one. This is my first year at trying my hand at a garden, since I was a little girl. My grandparents had big gardens are they did not eat. I just now have my peas popping there little heads up out of the ground. I have theme in raised beds. I am not sure on how often to water. I read that they need like an inch of water a week, but how do I know if I am giving them that. I used miracle grow vegetable soil in the beds. I think for the first year if I just get enough for one meal out of my small garden I will be happy. Long as I learn to have a awesome garden for next year. If you could bass a tip are two onto a new gardener I would so be greatful. Thanks.....~Cherrie~