Spring is Here! Time to Sow Your Peas

It’s funny how a 4 year old child’s preschool science project can remind us that Spring has indeed Sprung and it’s time to begin directly sowing certain seeds into the broken ground. Clara, a four year old, brought home a small plastic cup half filled with soil but overflowing with bean sprouts last week. While I was proudly transplanting my tomatoes, keeping my onions free of weeds and making sure I had prepped my remaining garden space, it was hard to believe the little cup was such a strong reminder that the time to sow is now.

Many of us in the South have already sown radish, beet and carrot seed, the usual best harbinger of Spring. While Clara’s beans did well being started inside, in most of the U.S. planting peas within the next week or so should be our first priority. Peas seem to flourish if planted when the soil is still cool. Remember with both Peas and Beans space is a consideration as your rows will need to be a bit wider taking into account their need to spread their vines or climb an available trellis. Why don’t you consider our Pea, Bean and Tomato Trellis? It comes in three lengths, from only 15 ft. to a whopping 60 ft., so your trellis can accommodate your garden no matter how large it is. You will want to ensure room to weed and harvest without crushing the vines or the produce.

At Seeds’n Such we notice trends among our customers. Some of the favorite Pea selections for you to consider are ‘Green Arrow’, the perennial favorite shelling pea in the entire country, ‘Mr. Big,’ our largest shell pea, or ‘Maestro,’ our earliest shell pea. Our most popular Snap Peas are ‘Super Sugar Snap,’ once voted America’s #1 all-time vegetable and ‘Sugar Ann’, a full week earlier than ‘Super Sugar Snap.’

Of course we always encourage you to explore new varieties so consider these as well: ‘Little Snowpea Purple,’ grown as much for its ornamental value as its great flavor and crunchiness or ‘Golden Sweet Snow Pea,’ an organic variety for those of you who prefer to grow organically.

Beans have a few more weeks before it reaches optimum time to plant bean seeds as soil temperatures should be around 50 degrees. However, to get ahead of the rush while ordering peas, go ahead and order your beans at the same time. Again, people have many favorites so look on line at our catalog for new ideas and consider the following favorites if a bit overwhelmed by our choices: You can’t go wrong with ‘Blue Lake 274’, my most popular bean since my R.H. Shumway days; ‘Contender,’ my earliest bush bean at only 40 days and ‘Fordhook 242’ for those who love lima beans. For something brand new, try ‘Strike’ bush bean, with the longest harvest window of any of our bush beans.

Being a bit older I will admit I am often challenged with absorbing all the internet affords people today. However, our younger and energetic staff reminds me daily that almost anything can be found when it comes to a “how to” question. Relating to beans, I’ve reviewed the following video and find the information to be most helpful and the trellis ideas for beans to be creative. Hopefully you too will find parts of this video informative:

Bring out your inner child and welcome Spring by sowing your Peas now and Beans quickly thereafter. But for more immediate pleasure, grab a paper cup with some soil and a few bean seeds and grow bean sprouts in your kitchen window for a tender addition to your next sandwich or salad!