Planting Peas in Fall
I’m growing a fall crop of peas for the first time this year. Most people only grow peas in spring, but at my community garden, I’ve observed that peas do very well, if not better, when planted in late summer for a fall crop. So I thought I’d try it (and encourage you to do the same)!
Before I plant peas, I always soak them for about 8 hours in a jar of water. I find this helps the peas germinate faster because the big, fat seeds have already absorbed enough water to sprout when you plant them. Pre-soaking the seeds also allows you to remove seeds that aren’t viable, as they tend to float and viable seeds tend to sink.
Before planting I also cover my seeds in rhizobia bacteria inoculant. Rhizobia bacteria have a symbiotic relationship with peas (and other members of the legume family). The bacteria act like little nitrogen factories for the peas. They form nodes on the plants’ roots and convert nitrogen from the air into a form that the plants can use. In return, the peas provide the bacteria carbohydrates and minerals. You can buy pea inoculant from most seed companies (including Johnny’s Select Seeds and Territorial Seed Company). To apply the inoculant, simply pour some into a baggie, put in the presoaked seeds, and shake until the peas are coated. Then you’re ready to plant!
Sow peas about an inch deep in a sunny, well-drained spot in the garden. I seed my peas less than an inch apart, because I like to thin them out when they are a couple of inches tall and use the shoots in salads. Vine and bush varieties of peas grow best with support. I usually grow peas up a bamboo tripod, but Jon and I built an A-Frame trellis out of cedar 1×1 boards and hardware cloth this spring and it works great (and looks nice, too!).
What variety are you using that gives you such pretty purple flowers? I have only ever had white pea flowers …
Nice-looking trellis. Stealing your idea for next year! Is it hinged at the top?
August 13th, 2008 at 9:21 amA fellow gardener at my P-Patch grew these snow peas in the spring. I believe that the variety is ‘Golden Sweet’ and that she got them from Baker Creek Seed Company (www.rareseeds.com). They are very tasty and incredibly ornamental. The trellis is hinged at the top and we secured it by tying each corner to wooden stakes.
August 13th, 2008 at 9:43 amThat is really interesting about the bacteria. Thanks for the info, something I will try in the future and another reason I enjoy reading your blog!
August 13th, 2008 at 12:00 pmHi Willi,
August 14th, 2008 at 8:20 amI planted potatoes and tomatoes in a mulch garden this year and plan to expand it for fall. My inspiration is the Ruth Stout method of heavy mulching. However, a neighbor here in Northern California said she tried it for 2 years and it didn’t work because we don’t get cold enough in the winter to kill off the detrimental bugs that she said ruined her garden. However, Stout says you have to mulch at least 3 years to get a good healthy soil. Any advice on mulch gardening? Thanks. Dave Smith
Growing potatoes in leaf mulch certainly has it advantages. A) By using mulch to hill up the potatoes, you don’t disturb the soil and the complex web of life that exists in the soil. B) It’s easier to harvest the potatoes, just pull back the mulch, and voila! you’ve got potatoes C) you can leave the mulch in place after harvesting and it will break down, adding organic matter back to the soil. Perhaps your friend had preexisting insect problems? As for tomatoes, my colleague Pam Ruch at Organic Gardening, endorses growing a winter cover crop (like rye or oats), mowing it down in spring and then planting directly into the cover crop “mulch”. If you’re looking for Ruth Stout’s book,there is a used one available online at Powells.
August 14th, 2008 at 10:42 am[...] chance I get, I pop outside and examine my rows of fall peas (they’ve germinated!), pop a cherry tomato in my mouth (they are finally ripening), and make a [...]
September 27th, 2008 at 10:41 pm[...] I had grand plans for a winter vegetable garden. I dug a bit of compost into the soil and planted little seedlings of lettuce, arugula, chard, and radicchio. I sowed baby greens, radishes, and beets. I even tried my hand at growing fall peas. [...]
December 9th, 2008 at 1:42 pmWhat are the basic dimensions of the A frame?
Did you find that it was tall enough or did the peas do so well they grew to the top and needed more height?
I assume you planted the peas on the outside and let them crawl up. Did you pant anything in the middle?
February 13th, 2009 at 9:37 amBob–
Here is a link with step-by-step directions on how to build this A-Frame:
http://www.ehow.com/how_2224037_build-aframe-trellis.html
I planted arugula in the middle and it did great!
February 17th, 2009 at 8:54 amWilli-
Is this the right time to plant peas for fall, then? Am I too late? Too early?
July 25th, 2009 at 3:17 pmSarah–You want your peas to mature before the first hard frosts in your area. In the PNW, now is a great time to plant because the peas will germinate and grow quickly in the warm weather, but the pods won’t begin to set until the weather cools down in September. Good luck!
August 10th, 2009 at 4:13 pm