Peas Galore

[mnjrutherford]

I've heard about the innoculant. The cost is prohibitive for us. On the other hand, since the peas at least started growing in past, just didn't make it far after the fact, I figured that it's 50/50 that we might not need the innoculant, just soil enhancements. I had purchased a packet of Kabouli Black chick peas which I didn't plant out last year for the same reason. I'm going to plant them this year just to see what happens. Worse case scenario, they don't sprout. I MIGHT survive the pain... ;o)

[Alan]

As of today there are 15 varieties of Snow and Sugar Snap peas in the ground at Bishop's Homegrown/Face of the earth.

Some have sprouted which were planted two and a half weeks ago.

Spring has sprung and for the first tim in months I feel alive!

[wildseed57]

Hi Alan, that really sound like you will have quite a lot of peas growing are you growing any of the colored types? I here that there is a purple podded snap pea that some one has bred, but I don't know its name, i do have one called Purple passion, but i don't have any info on it, it does have purple pea seeds so I'm just guessing its just a fancy field pea or a type of shelling pea. I hope that its worth eating. I guess if worst came to worst I could try breeding my own purple snap or purple snow pea...
Yes the cost of inoculant is pretty high, thats why I will be trying some different type to see if they will work as well although, they say that the inoculant for peas and beans is different from the type they use for Clover and Alfalfa, as it is about a buck cheaper per 4 oz package and eeven cheaper when bought by the pound, its worth the try for me. As It is I have to buy 4 to 5 packs for my peas and beans, I glad I just have a small garden as the cost would just be to much else wise. Hey while I'm thinking about it I was wodering about the different colored snap type pea pods and was wondering if the ones like Spring Blush and possibly purple passion pea would lose their color when cooked, I know that the purple snap beans will turn green when cooked, so I'm wondering if this would hold true for the colored pea pods, i was told that if you cook the Golden Sweet by its self it won't lose it pretty golden yellow color which is great, but will it hold true for Spring Blush or Purple Passion?
George W. Z5-6 MO

[grunt]

George: You only have to apply the inoculant once to the soil. It persists for years. If you have grown peas in an area, and used inoculant the first time, you're good to go.

[robertb]

I think you only need innoculant where legumes have not previously been grown. My own site has been in existence since 1840, so it would be a waste of money, but someone making a vegetable garden somewhere peas and beans had never been grown would be in a very different position. I'm not sure whether the microbes are species-specific; would clover, say, leave microbes which would work with peas?

[galina]

Mar 31, 2010 6:09:38 GMT -5 mnjrutherford said:

I like that pea salad you describe Galina. We are growing some Golden Sweet this year, they are a mange tout variety you say?

I soaked these peas in water before planting them out and they are starting to sprout after only a few days in ground. I sure hope and pray that I get to see "peas galore" this year!

What about seed saving though? Is it best to gather seed peas at the start or at the end of the season? Let the pods dry on the plant or off?

I'm particularly concerned about saving the seed of the the Rebel and Mattar peas because I only received 5 seed to begin with and I want to be able to return them as well as have a good supply for myself to grow and share.

I hope you will get peas galore too. Good luck.

To your specific points. Yes Golden Sweet is a mangetout or edible podded pea, not as sweet as some, but definitely edible podded.

If you have only 5 peas of one variety, then I would pre-grow them or cover them with individual bottle cloches against birds and mice and other animals.

I always save early, mid-season and late pods. This is important so that I don't accidentally make a variety later than it can be, by selecting only late seeds.

If there only 5 seeds to start with, you will really only get a small taste yourself (garden munch portions) and proper eating quantities next year.

It is best to let the pods dry on the plant. If you find that birds are getting interested in your semi-ripe pods, you need to rig up bird scarers. If mice empty the semi-ripe pods (this happens with dwarf varieties) you need to encase the whole plant to protect the seeds. Once mice get the 'message', they will strip a whole plant within no time at all.

Don't leave seedsaving to the end, after eating. With rare varieties, that can't be easily replaced, I would think 'seed' first and 'food' second. A lot can happen. There are also losses due to pea moth later in the season. An early season pod will yield, say, 8 good peas, a late season pod with maggotts in them will probably only yield one or 2 viable seeds.

If semi-ripe seed is being attacked and there is a sufficient quantity of well-leathery pods, you can pull up the whole plant and hang it out of harm's way, upside down, until the pods are ready to be shelled when they are dry. After shelling, it is still necessary to dry the peas further.

I don't want to worry you unduly, but unfortunately peas are not quite as easy to save seed from as beans, because animals love their pick.

[galina]

Mar 31, 2010 14:31:07 GMT -5 wildseed57 said:

I have three that are maked as coming from the netherlands one is called Gold Konigin and the other is called Eroica both are supposed to be shelling peas the last one is called Swiss Giants and is supposed to be a edible podded type. This one is a odd mix of small light green and tan seeds. I'm hoping that it will be a good edible pod type. George W. Z5-6 MO. USA

Swiss Giants or to give them their real name Schweizer Riesen are not a Dutch bean, but a Swiss heirloom. Yes, their seeds can be anything from green to dark brown and often purple speckled too. The variety is very early, the earliest of the large podded mangetouts. Early season pods are easily 5 inches long, later they get smaller. These pods are really sweet and you don't need many for a meal. They are about 5ft tall here, not one of the tallest peas, but definitely need good support.

One of my favourites.

[galina]

Mar 30, 2010 12:30:24 GMT -5 mortality said:

Steam em ? ;D

Could be worth a try.

[mnjrutherford]

Fascinating information. I don't think we have issues with mice or any predator that size or larger. The peas are near the guinea fowl so hopefully the bug predators will also be limited. The guinea fowl themselves are reported to not be a threat to the crops either. Time will tell if our guineas are aberrations to these reports or not.

I am planning to focus on seed saving BEFORE eating. Especially with such a limited number of peas on these 2 varieties. I really appreciate the saving tips. The idea of saving through the season to maintain the timing integrity of the crop is something I would never have thought of. I'll have to devise a method of marking particular pods in order to achieve this.

This will be a very interesting pea year!

[mortality]

I have no will power, my Purple podded pea - Desiree and Golden sweet just arrived this morning. ;D from www.plantsofdistinction.co.uk/

My 'normal' peas 'Onward' are growing nicely too.

Looks like my first year growing stuff is going to be colourful ;D especially when you add in the Painted Mountain corn.

[wildseed57]

As usual my information about where a varietuy came from wwas wrong, it seems that the USDA can't get the country of origin right. Thank you also for its real name Schweizer Riesen, The reason I need to add inoculant so much, is I have been rotating my crops along with building new longer and higher raised beds. The 30'x 2 1/2 x 8 inches high that i used last year will be planted with tomatoes this year after its raised anoth 8 inches where the peas will be planted will be in two 30'x21/2' x16 inch hight new beds and all new soil. These two beds will become my pea beds and won't get rotated, so I want to add in inoculate this time around so that they have what they need. After that the beds will just get some compost and maybe some blood and bonemeal. Well thanks again
george w. Z5-6 MO. USA

[mnjrutherford]

What precisely IS the chemical make up of the innoculant and what is it's purpose? I believe it's been discussed before, but I wasn't able to locate the data. Does it facilitate the process of germination? Does it feed the sprout? Does it condition the soil texturally? Does it create some sort of protective barrier?

[galina]

Apr 2, 2010 6:05:26 GMT -5 mnjrutherford said:

What precisely IS the chemical make up of the innoculant and what is it's purpose? I believe it's been discussed before, but I wasn't able to locate the data. Does it facilitate the process of germination? Does it feed the sprout? Does it condition the soil texturally? Does it create some sort of protective barrier?

Colorado State University explains what it is ie nitrogen fixing bacteria, here is their summary:

Quick Facts...
Legumes convert atmospheric nitrogen to usable ammonia nitrogen for the plant.
Inoculation is the process of introducing commercially prepared rhizobia bacteria into the soil.
Each legume species requires a specific species of rhizobia to form nodules and fix nitrogen.
Store inoculum and preinoculated seed in a cool environment without exposure to sunlight.
Inoculum packages usually are labeled with an expiration date.

Here is the url for the whole advice sheet:
www.ext.colostate.edu/Pubs/crops/00305.html

Innoculants are now available in UK garden centres as well. At a garden Q and A session at HDRA (now Garden Organic) somebody asked the question whether we need innoculants, and the reply was that in the UK the organisms are plentifully available in the soil and there is no need.

[robertb]

If you're growing legumes somewhere they haven't been grown before, the soil's likely to lack the rhizobium, and you'll get miserable little plants. You don't need it routinely though, as once you've grown them successfully, the bacteria survive in the soil for future crops.

[mnjrutherford]

Well, I've planted garbanzos where I'm pretty sure no one has ever planted them before. As I was planting, it occurred to me, if I plant them and they grow, even just a little bit, will that innoculate the soil? Will it at least start the process? In which case, I could plan to replant the same thing in the same area next year?