We used to try to grow spring peas ever year. There might have been once or twice that we actually grew enough to harvest.
Some years we waited too late to plant, other years the weather just didn’t cooperate. Often by the time the peas started growing we needed to pull them up to plant beans in their place.
Finally Matt said lets forget the early peas and just enjoy summer peas.
For the last several years we’ve enjoyed growing the holstein pea. Debbie Hooper from Bryson Farm Supply shared the seed with us. It’s named appropriately since it is black and white. The taste is similar to a black eyed pea.
One year we fell in love with the Mississippi pink eye bush variety of pea and we’ve been growing it ever since.
We’ve grown an old variety called calico from a friend in Alabama and really enjoyed it too.
Calico and Mississippi pink eye are the only peas we planted this year.
In my Nature Studies class last week Ila shared something she had just learned about growing those early spring peas.
While visiting Thomas Jefferson’s home Monticello Ila learned they plant their spring peas in November. The ground is too cold for them to sprout. The seed lays in the cold ground all through the winter and then when the soil warms to the right temperature they come up and grow.
Ila plans to see if the method works for her this fall. Matt and I are going to try it too. We’ll only plant a short little row but it will be fun to see if the peas do better than they have for us in the past.
I’ve always been amazed with the vigor and production of volunteer plants in the garden. They almost always do better than the ones we painstakingly plant just right. I’ve often teased Matt that we might should plant our whole garden in December and see how it does. The method of planting in November is a good test for my teasing theory.
Last night’s video: Memory of Cornbread by Willow Lawson.
Tipper
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That sounds worth trying! I have seeds for a cauliflower that’s supposed to overwinter, then you pick it after the winter. I think the variety was Galleon, I’ve never grown it.
I’ve read about that method for growing sweet pea flowers. I never had any luck planting in the spring.
I might have to try it again after Thanksgiving.
Tipper – I had to come back on this topic of planting peas – these little tasty morsels have been ‘rolling’ around in my head all morning! So many names for so many varieties yet they all seem to fall under the category of ‘peas’ – such as – peas, beans, legumes, pulses, lentils, green beans, and that sweet little round green pea! And they all seem to have their own varieties as well. 🙂 I think I will just tell my brain to ‘shut up’ with the trying to figure it all out and just enjoy whatever gets served on my plate, for they are all GOOD! But first: do you & Matt actually grow the little round green peas?
We don’t but if this works we might 🙂
Off-topic, but:
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A German tourist in Atlanta for the World Cup visiting up in the Brasstown Bald area– if you start getting more Germans stopping by up your way, you’ll know why!
I think awhile back Tipper posted about signs of spring, well I am going to comment about signs of summer in the south-95 degrees today and over 90 during the weekend with a feel like temperature near or over 100 degrees for next the couple of days and remaining dry. We have already had a few days of 90 degrees. Can I talk any of the Canadian members into letting me stay with them during the summer? Is this a sign of getting old- I hate the summer heat and am fast getting to where I also don’t like the winter cold.
Sounds like it’s worth a try ! The cornbread video was wonderful!!!! Thank you so much for sharing it & congratulations!!!!
Praying for all the requests & you all !
This is truly fascinating! I would like to try planting some seeds the year before and letting them overwinter as well. Makes me wonder if this would work well for carrot seeds since they produce so much better if planted really early.
Tipper – I must have a loose gear in my brain, as every time you talk about or write about ‘peas’ my mind goes to the little round green peas – they are what I’ve always heard as called ‘peas’ – and what you call peas I’ve heard them as being called ‘beans’ – not to be confused with green beans, ha ha. Since you say that when you plant your ‘peas’ sometimes they are too slow in growing so you need to pull them up to plant something else. Could you get a raised bed to plant your spring ‘peas’ in so they could have a bed of their own – that way you could have both? BTW – a great ‘memory of cornbread’ video last evening!!
I should have also added-those spring peas don’t like hot humid weather so that’s another reason their season is short 🙂 Thank you Wanita!
I always think of the sweet english peas (the round green ones) all other peas are blackeyed or cow peas or purple hull etc—those types of peas we clarify by name where as if we just say peas we all know what is being talked about is the green round peas guess it matters where a person is raised as to what name you call something
My mother had heard a variation on the “man with no feet” proverb when she was growing up, which was, “You’re complaining about having nothing to eat but peas, and meanwhile, the people behind you are waiting for you to throw away the pods!” Someone’s always worse off than you, in other words. But that brings up the question of, what do you do with the pods?
If it is sugar snaps or snow peas or something like that, you eat the pods just like you would greenbeans. If it is some variation of cow pea the pod is too fibrous to chew up so you let it grow to maturity, dry it out and eat the peas inside. The pods go onto the compost pile to be turned into fertilizer for use in the future.
This year I’m trying early peas. Out of the 35 seeds I put in, only 11 have sprouted. It’s disappointing for sure.
I’ve had greens grow all through the winter. The only thing that took my plants out last year was of course that bitterly cold weather. But giant red mustard, collards, kale, some root crops, they all do well. I also grow tatsoi which is a super alternative to spinach, very cold hardy.
Every year, Mom planted peas on Valentine’s Day. They typically grew along a long fence line, allowing her to save space for the spring garden. She preferred the snap variety and cooked them just like green beans. They were cooked for hours, unlike the stir-fry recipes, and were delicious with a pone of cornbread and a slice of onion.
I added elderberry leaves under my cucumber and squash plants. Sure hope it works. I watched the cornbread video last night and really enjoyed it. I usually make mine with buttermilk, but at times I have used yogurt when I was out of buttermilk. It really is good. We have started splitting the bread open , putting a big helping of crowder peas on both sides , then topping with sour cream, pico de gallo and a sprinkle of grated cheese. Sure is good!
I use to plant Sweet Peas and they always seemed to grow. They were my garden snack. I’d pick the pods, open them and enjoy the tasty peas inside. I use to take some to my mother in-law each year I grew them. She was like me, she would immediately pop open a pod and enjoy the sweet crispy peas inside. She told me they were great in salads, so if I had a good harvest then I’d did always save some to put in my salad. My husband only like cooked peas, so I would cook him up some in a little water with butter. I didn’t plant any this year since my mother in law passed back in February this year. In fact I haven’t planted much at all that I normally enjoyed planting, because I don’t have her to share them with. My mother in-law always asked me to grow specific vegetables and it just happened to be vegetables I liked too, so it was a win for both of us when I had a good harvest.
Please pray for my family. My Daddy,Ricky Tuggle, especially. I thank y’all for remembering us.
I will pray Kourtni. God bless you both!
Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus, today I pray for Kourtni and her family , her father, please bless them Lord, whatever whatever they need Lord, help them in the name of Jesus I pray amen, I used to know some Tuggles from Dahlonega Georgia
My grandpa and grandma would leave cabbage buried beneath the dirt well into winter. Mommy would say “go out there and dig me up a cabbage for supper.” They planted Rye grass in fall to overwinter their enormous garden plot building up the dirt for the next season. I went outside yesterday only to discover a groundhog (who’s fat and sassy living under the neighbor’s outside shed) ate my hollyhocks (chaters doubles got ate to the nubbins) and even sweet banana peppers which I planted OUTSIDE my fence cause I ran out of space. I put some chili pepper on my stuff and apparently fatboy groundhog doesn’t like that! Lol It’s on now! I may buy an electric fence for giggles. I know my neighbors have them all around me. I feel humans shouldn’t be the only ones getting shocked procuring groceries… anyway you gotta fight for the right to keep your garden bounty every moment of every day-like fighting the good fight. Why does it seem we are always fighting to keep what’s ours in one way or another? Well I hope you get to enjoy your peas and I hope fall planting of them works out well for you to have aplenty next year (if there is one.) As for me, I’ve decided there ain’t no more mouths to feed moving in here from the animal kingdom unless I can put them in a pot…Murrman wants to bring a mastif/ pit bull in here and I told him “no way hussy (Hosea.)” I’m too old and too tired to take that on…
As always praying for Papaw Tony.
The first time I planted peas I had a great crop going until the deer found them. I didn’t even get enough for one good meal. Deer will devastate a peanut crop if the get into it. All I have this year are tomatoes, pepper. squash and cucumbers. My wife planted lettuce and radishes.
Many seeds do well if kept cool until planting. I always kept okra seed in the freezer a couple of weeks before planting. There may be merit in the idea of planting in winter to give them an earlier start in the Spring.
I know and buy from an old time seed dealer (buys in bulk and weighs out and sells loose seed.) His price is a lot cheaper than buying small seed packs from these online seed companies. He preaches storing any leftover seed in the freezer.
My family would always have a large patch of peas each year. Over the years we planted different varieties over the years, the old time large Red Ripper, not today’s small ones, Hercules, Colossus and our favorite, Mississippi Purple Hull. We would save our dry peas and store them in a burlap sack each year during the winter, beat them with a large stick, shift out the chaff by holding them in our hand and letting them fall on a sheet and letting the wind blow the chaff away. Now a days it is hard to have peas or any garden at all because of the large number of deer.
I think this is the peas Tipper is talking about. One year my Daddy planted what we called English Peas or green spring sweet pea such as Wando one year in November and let them lay in the over during the winter and they did come up in the early spring of the following year. He just went back to planting them in the late winter or very early spring of each year. We would never plant field peas or cow peas until about this time of the year. How many times have you seen different types of seed lay out all year during the winter cold and come back up as volunteers in the spring? I have some volunteer tomato plants this year.
good morning friends and family, thank you for praying for me, while I’m waiting on the dentist, and local transportation, the doctor has seen fit to write me an antibiotic, praise God for that, God bless you and have a great day
Good news Norman! I’ll keep praying it all works out 🙂
thank you Tipper and God bless you very much
My early peas or garden peas as we call them don’t do well either, maybe I should try planting in November.
We finally got rain last night, only .3 in. but first we’ve had in 3 weeks. Temp was 96 yesterday and forecast is 98 today.
We’re gonna put up our first sweet corn today, ambrosia and peaches and cream. The silver queen isn’t quite ready yet.
Hi Tipper and Acorns. I enjoyed watching the cornbread video. So many good memories. I hope your overwinter peas do good. I keep forgetting that y’all have dried field peas and not green sweet peas. The flowers of sweet peas makes some fine tea. I think you ought to brew up some strong herbal teas (less water) and make some simple syrup to make popsicles. Ed goes next week to get his teeth cleaned. It is gonna be a round trip of about 120 miles and most of the way is 45 miles per hour. We are asking for prayers for the trip to be easy and the stress of the procedure to be mild. The dentist has a free clinic and will donate his services. Prayers for me as I drive to someplace I’ve never been before and that I have the strength to make it there and back home. Ed and I TY all so much for keeping us in your prayers. GOD blesses us everyday thanks to your kind words for us. I keep everyone here and up Wilson Holler in my prayers. Love ya. -Barbara
Barbara I will pray it all goes well 🙂
God bless Barbara and Ed
We love spring peas here too. I don’t remember where I read it, but I learned that for our climate planting spring peas when February puts out it’s first teasers of spring is the time to plant them. Like you, I always would plant in April or May, but they didn’t do very well. But planting them in February made a huge difference and we always have a good crop.
The cornbread documentary was very good last night. If we could just get past the buttermilk issue lol. You mentioned your dad heated his grease on top of the stove. Did he ever have a grease fire? My grandmother was terrible about putting the grease on to heat and then go outside “for a minute” to check on something once she was on the back porch talking to a neighbor when the kitchen windows exploded. They almost lost the house that time.
He didn’t ever have one thank goodness 🙂 I’m like your grandmother sometimes I walk off too and forget what I have cooking. I’m so glad they were okay when it exploded.
I like to heat my pan in the oven first and then when the batter is ready take it out and set it in a hot eye on the stovetop. That way the cold batter don’t lower the cooking temperature too much.
Are you planning to try the plant a patch in November idea? Could be a fun surprise!
Really enjoyed the cornbread film.
Loved hearing the song at the end, too
Praying for Matt’s Dad and all Acorn prayer requests. Enjoy your day everyone!
Yes 🙂