What to plant?

[tedln]

This is a photo of my "straw bale bed" I am preparing for my spring garden. I will be performing a nitrogen treatment of the bales for a couple of weeks and then it will sit for a few weeks until early March. I'm an impatient person and want to try growing something before March. I've never grown peas, but I understand they can be planted and will grow in cooler weather. I know people grow peas in just a little soil in rain gutters. I plan on putting some soil on top of the bales as part of the process of preparing them for my spring garden. Would peas grow in the soil before my normal crop planting in the spring? Any ideas about something to try would be appreciated. I also will need advice about the variety of peas to plant if they will work.



Thanks

Ted

[!potatoes!]

peas might. some sort of non-hot weather greens might be faster/more likely to be done before other stuff should go...just a thought.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Ted,

Peas don't like a lot of nitrogen. That said, not sure what the nitrogen level will be, after reacting with all that carbon. To much nitrogen will give you all plant and low production.

I would try Spinach, lettuce blends and Asian greens. All can handle fairly shallow root zones and higher nitrogen levels.

If you are set on peas, Cascadia would be my choice. A snap pea variety. IMO snap peas, give you more for your buck.

Eric

[soil]

i would do snow peas ( which i have outside right now and last night it froze solid to 25 degrees) and they are fine. come spring they will explode and give you tons of peas, after that i would go with some beans and some lower vine like plants to create living mulch(think winter squash). after that your strawbale bed will be perfectly ready for a fall brassica crop( kale, broccoli, etc..)

but thats just me