Well once again it's time for the garden to come to life. The snow has melted off the garden and over the last few weeks it has dried out somewhat. Last Sunday (April 26th) I broke out the rorotiller and started the 2015 growing season. It's hard to believe that only 3 short weeks before this date the garden and much of the lawn was still covered n snow.
Portions of the garden were still too wet but probably 50% was dry enough to till. I wanted to get the peas planted since they do better in cooler weather. The general rule of thumb for planting peas is that as soon as the ground thaws and can be worked, they can be planted.
In late April and early to mid May, it is only advisable to plant cold tolerant vegetables such as peas, onions, radishes, Swiss chard, lettuce, kale, etc.
The first step, of course, is to work the ground. Last fall I placed a layer of chopped leaves on the garden which can be seen in this photo, Over the winter, they began to decay and now they can be worked into the soil. Leaves are one of the best materials that can be used to amend the soil. They turn into beautiful compost providing nutrients and helping the soil retain moisture. Composted manure works well also or home made compost from vegetable scraps, etc. You can also sprinkle a little 5-10-5 fertilizer before tilling.
After tilling the ground, I placed the pea fence in the garden. The fence I use is about 30 inches high which is perfect for the variety of peas I planted, which reach just that height. This fence is sold in most seed catalogs, It usually comes in 6 or 8 foot sections and presses into the ground for easy installation. It also is available in greater heights for taller peas and other vegetables. In addition these fences can also be used for cucumbers and squash.
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| Oregon Sugar Pod II Peas |
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| Planting Peas |
I chose a snap (snow) pea, Oregon Sugar Pod II. This an award winning pea that produces abundant amounts of pods on compact vines.
Peas are easy to plant, the seeds are spaced about 4 inches part, then pressed into the soil to a depth of about one inch. An alternate method is to make a trench one inch deep. I prefer the first method, but it's up to the gardener to decide.
Moving on to tomatoes, I also recently transplanted my heirloom tomato plants into peat pots, bringing them one step closer to the garden. By doing this, it gives the pants more room to develop root systems and helps them to grow stronger in preparation for outdoor growing.
I generally use a 3 inch peat pot and a good quality potting soil. Choosing one with plant food included also helps as it eliminates the need to fertilize them over the next month. Using garden soil is not recommended as it may cause plant diseases as it contains fungus, mold, etc. The sterile potting soil ensures a healthy start for your plants.
Even though the tomatoes were small a week ago or so when transplanted, they have already grown significantly in the greenhouse. There is still plenty of time for them to grow, since Memorial Day is considered a safe planting date here in central New York state. With the summer like weather we are having this week, they have already almost doubled in size as can be seen below.
In my next post I will talk about planting onions and shallots.
Thanks for reading, and happy gardening.
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