Preserving

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Planting Peas and My Tables Runneth Over!!

I was planning on sowing some of the peas here at the house on Sunday. After spending most of the day at the plots I decided to soak the peas in a Vitamin C solution and sow them on Monday. I read that it has been proven that pea seedlings treated with Vitamin C will grow 40% higher. The root length, deeling weight and germination are also greatly enhanced by doing this. To make the solution, dissolve 150 milligrams of Vitamin C in two quarts of water and soak the peas in it for 12 to 48 hours. In the article that I had read the woman then pre-sprouted the peas before coating them with inoculate and planting them. There was no way that I was going to pre-sprout hundreds of peas seeds!! Well, it was so cold and damp yesterday that last night I decided to roll them up in damp paper towels, put them in a plastic bag and place them on the radiator until I was able to plant them some time today.

After spending a couple of hours this morning playing the seedling shuffle and re-potting the Brussels Sprouts, Kohlrabi and some additional broccoli, I decided that I better get outside and plant the peas here at the house. The weather forecast for the next week is not very promising, so I have to take advantage of every minute of decent weather that we have. When I opened up the peas, some of them had already started to sprout after only about 16 hours!! I was in such a hurry to get them planted that I didn't take any pictures.


Around the exterior of the garlic bed, I planted Spring Blush Snap Peas, which are a purple podded snap pea. I'm very excited about this pea. I also planted Little Marvel English peas in this bed.

This bed is in the yard next door. The new owner was nice enough to let me use it. I planted Mammoth Melting Snow Peas around the exterior of this bed. I will also plant my early potatoes here. After they are finshed, which should be mid-July, I'm going to help the woman who will be living there plant some veggies in there.

After planting the peas, I planted about three dozen onion plants here and there in the beds here at the house. The main onion crop will be planted at the plots.


 This is the front germinating table down in the basement. As you can see the early tomatoes are getting huge and the table is almost completely full! It's difficult to get good pictures with those lights on.

This is the back germinating table in the basement....it's full too!!!

Here are the seedlings that I re-potted this morning. Since they are cool weather crops, soon I will be able to take them outside with the other tray and a half!! I wish the weather and our schedule would cooperate so we could get the greenhouse up!

17 comments:

  1. You continue to amaze and inspire! I am so excited for you! How wonderful too that you have the neighbor to lend land! I keep threatening to take our neighbors yard thru eminent domain. :) If that doesn't work I will just take it, ask for forgiveness later and then claim squatters rights!

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  2. You just reminded me I thought I ordered purple pod peas, but I don't have them. Did I forget? I can't wait to see yours since apparently I won't be growing any. Your tomatoes are huge!

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  3. APGal, I used to own the house next door until two months ago. That is one of my beds that I used last year. After the peas and potatoes are done, I won't use it anymore. I just needed that one bed for half the season since the plots aren't ready yet.

    Jane, I purchased two different varieties of purple podded peas this year. I just can't wait to see them grow! The big tomatoes are my early ones that will be planted in water cloches in the beginning of April here at the house. The main tomaotes are just itsy bitsy teeny weeny tomatoes...thank God!!

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  4. I'm hoping for better weather for you: I can't wait to see the greenhouse!

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  5. Lynda, the weather has been just crazy....we are supposed to get some freezing rain, ice and maybe a little snow tonight and into tomorrow. I think that I will put the tops back on the cold frames tonight since I planted some new lettuce plants in there today. Oh, the greenhouse is like a pop-up tent. I have pics of it somewhere on this blog

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  6. Wow... You're seedlings look amazing! I never heard about the Vitamin C. I'll need to check into that.

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  7. The vitamin C is intriguing. I think peas are in the planting schedule next weekend for me - Super Sugar Snaps. Last year the weather turned hot quickly in June and that made for a lean pea crop.

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  8. I might try that for fall's pea planting - I probably should have done that for myself when I was younger LOL!

    All the seedlings look great!

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  9. I am in awe of all that you are doing and can't wait to see the photos as summer sets in!

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  10. You're putting us all to shame! With your home garden, the garden in your neighbor's yard, and your community plots, you'll be able to feed the entire city! I think I'll just throw in the towel and move in with you and The Italian ;-)

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  11. tami, I have never tried it before either. We will see how it works out.

    gardenvariety, I had a pretty good crop here last year. Hopefully it will be better this year!

    Erin, You and me both!! It's going to get crazy down in the basement before everything is planted!

    Patricia, Seeing everything growing and green will be pay day for me!!

    Granny, You can come and move in with "The Italian" and I any day! We would have those plots in shape in record time!!

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  12. How convenient that you will have a kitchen garden at your house where you can run out and grab whatever is needed for a meal. Boy, winter is still hanging on, isn't it?

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  13. Rachel, It will be great to have what we need here at the house. Next year it will be more organized since I will be able to plant my garlic at the plots. Old Man Winter definitely is not giving up...look at what I just posted!!

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  14. I have never had much luck pre-soaking anything for more than 12 hours. The peas and beans tend to split in half if left for more than this and germination was much lower with the pre-soaked seeds in my experience. I did this several times until I got fed up and just put hard seeds in the ground. Low and behold, they all germinated.

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  15. Thomas, this was the first time that I have ever pre-soaked peas. I just had my heart set on planting them on the 20th so I decided to soak them and see what happens.

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  16. Thanks for the vitamin c trick. I'll have to try that -- when the ground finally thaws and the peas can go in!

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  17. Hi Brian, thanks for stopping by! This is the first time that I have tried vitamin c....we will see how it works! This weather is just crazy!!

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