Pickin' Peas

[jal_ut]

Pickin' Peas this morning. I shelled them and froze them.

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/peas_5.jpg[/img]

[LindsayArthurRTR]

What cultivar do you use? No trellis? Do you have a bush variety? Would love to know your method, please.

[scot29]

Lookin' good as always jal!

[jal_ut]

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/peas_lettuce.jpg[/img]

These peas are Wando. They were planted in April. This is a pic when they were small. I planted three rows ten inches apart. No trellis. They stood up until they bloomed, then one day a wind came up and blew them over. That doesn't seem to bother them at all. They produced very well.

I have also planted Victory Freezer, Lincoln, Little Marvel, and Laxton's Progress. The growth habit is about the same on these varieties. I don't know if you would call them a bush variety? The vines get about three feet long.

[Hispoptart]

Looking good, I have been picking them for about 3 weeks now, like you the wind blew them over and the shear weight of the fruits did not help. but they show no sign of slowing down. It amazes me how little you get after shelling a bucket like that. Sometimes I wonder if it's really worth it, but then I pop a shell full in my mouth and go OOHHH YEA! it's worth it.

[gixxerific]

Nice haul there James. Your plants are looking great as usual.

Funny how you are picking peas now, as you know mine were culled a month or so ago due to weather.

[FruitAddict]

I am so jealous - I planted my Memorial Day and they are just starting to bloom. I can't wait!!!

[applestar]

WOW. looks amazing!

I just PLANTED some more presprouted Lincolns for fall yesterday.
The other ones I planted are growing, though it was 80 degrees at midnight last night so I don't know if they're going to be OK.... It may turn out that fall peas are not feasible -- I guess I'll just keep planting until I run out of seeds and find out the best timing, if there is any.

[garden5]

Wow , great harvest! It looks like you sowed them fairly thickly, did you then them?

[gixxerific]

Wow , great harvest! It looks like you sowed them fairly thickly, did you then them?

I followed Jal's advice on sowing peas thickly this spring and it worked out great for me. Every inch or so.

[jal_ut]

It amazes me how little you get after shelling a bucket like that.

That is about a 4 gallon bucket. The peas weighed 13.5 lb. After shelling and bagging, I had 6 lb. of peas. It is a pretty labor intensive project. No wonder they want $6 a lb. for fresh peas in the store. (unshelled) This was only about a third of what I have. I guess its peas again tomorrow? Sunday is a day off.

No thinning on these. I plant them with the seeder which drops a seed pretty often as you can see from the pic when they were little.

I planted some seed for a late harvest, but the gremination rate was poor. I should have presprouted them I guess. I am thinking it is too late for me now. Anyway the few that came up will give me some treats when out in the garden in September. I won't need any more than that.

Here is a pic just as they started to bloom. Still standing up.

[img]https://donce.lofthouse.com/jamaica/peas_6_10.jpg[/img]

Grat gardening!

[Ozark Lady]

Looking good.
I can't grow green peas.
I tried yet again this year, and I did more than double my seeds for next year, but nothing to eat at all. Hey, still I gained!

I'm with you Apple there must be a way to grow them, in spite of the heat. I ordered a book on 4 season gardening, maybe it will give me some hints on how to grow cool weather crops in a hot climate... winter? Very early spring? I honestly think that I just am not planting early enough for the cool crops.

[jal_ut]

Do you know your average last frost date in the Spring? You can plant peas one month before that date.

[rkunsaw]

We're getting lots of peas too.(we grow real peas...crowder,purple hull )
not those green things you folks farther north grow. Actually I've tried growing English peas several times with no luck. But we are feasting on crowder peas,okra and tomatoes right now.
Larry

[garden5]

I planted them sparsely last year and didn't get near the harvest I could have. I guess there are some things that you can pack in closer that what's recommended and get and even better harvest.

Some of my sparse planting was also due to a lack of germination. I'll definitely be trying your pre-sprouting method next year, Jal.

[Ozark Lady]

When I gathered up seeds for this year, I got one small package of several different green peas. And several larger packages of field peas (real ones) and they were difficult to find!

Around our house we probably eat 2/1 more field peas than green peas, so it only makes sense to grow more field peas.

Our last frost is in early April, I always remember it as April 15th, since that is a convenient date, but I think it is actually a week off one side or the other.

But usually that last month, from March 15-April 15 will see few frosts.
My great grandfather always aimed to plant early crops in February and I thought that was too early, since he was growing in good soil and I am not.

[nes]

I actually hate peas, but I planted Lincoln peas this year for my little baby (now 6 months) since his name is... Lincoln . But he absolutely loves them! I got in BIG trouble because I didn't plant enough and he ate them all in half of one meal (he was SCREAMING because I didn't have any more for him). So I ran outside and planted a whole ton more. Never in my life did I ever think I would feel like I hadn't planted enough peas .

How do you like the taste of the other varieties you planted?
Did you find any of them are more prolific then that Lincoln?
(Which I find are lower production then that laxton I did the year before - maybe I just ate less of them)

[Ozark Lady]

You sound like me, but.... I hate green beans, I won't grow the nasty things!
You won't find a green bean in my garden! tee hee

[FieldofFlowers]

Nice batch of peas. Ours seem to be winding down. Black and yellow spots all over the leaves and decaying stems... But they were good while they lasted. Super sugar snap peas are really awesome, even if they climbed taller than I expected.

[applestar]

I (and the kids) found Lincoln to be very sweet and tasty. Some peas turn starchy if you miss the limited harvest timing -- Dakota was one example as well as Tall Telephone (but they taste good cooked), but my kids liked to eat them right out of the pods. Among the Sugar Snaps, small podded light colored and tender Sugar Ann got rave reviews, though the large pods of Super Sugar Snaps were good as well.