The oyster mushroom gets its name from its cap which, some say, resembles an oyster. The stem of the oyster mushrooms is perhaps more distinct; it unfurls something like one of those old-time paper lady's fans. The oyster mushroom has...

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Pea Growing Problems: Troubleshooting

Fresh-picked home-grown green peas are worth the effort. The flavor of fresh-picked peas will far outdistance the flavor of store bought peas because flavor of peas dulls quickly after picking as sugar change to starch.

Peas grow best in cool weather, but peas are not limited to spring planting. Late summer and fall planting can result in fall, winter, and early spring harvests in mild-winter regions. Peas are best grown on supports to keep them off the ground and away from many pests and diseases. (For pea growing tips see How to Grow Peas or Pea Growing Success Tips at the bottom of this post.)

Here are possible pea growing problems with cures and controls:

Seedlings fail to emerge from soil or seedlings are eaten. Cabbage maggot is a small gray-white, legless worm to ⅓-inch long; adult looks like a housefly. Seedcorn maggot is a small, yellowish white maggot, the larva of a small gray fly. Flies lay eggs in the soil near the seedling or plant. Apply lime or wood ashes around the base of plants; time planting to avoid insect growth cycle. Plant a bit later when the weather is drier.

Plants are eaten or cut off near soil level. Cutworms are gray grubs ½- to ¾-inch long that can be found curled under the soil. They chew stems, roots, and leaves. Place a 3-inch paper collar around the stem of the plant. Keep the garden free of weeds; sprinkle wood ash around base of plants.

Seeds rot or seedlings collapse with dark water-soaked stems as soon as they appear. Damping off is a fungus that lives in the soil; it emerges where humidity is high. Do not plant in cold, moist soil. Make sure soil is well drained. Rotate crops.

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How to Grow Peas: Garden, English, Snap Peas and Sugar and Snow Peas

Garden, English, and snap peas are grown for the shelled seeds or peas in their pods. Sugar or snow peas are grown for their flat, green pods.

Peas are a cool-season crop that must mature before the weather gets warm. The ideal growing temperature for peas is 55°F to 70°F. Sow peas in the garden 6 weeks before the average last frost date in spring or as soon as the soil can be worked.

Description. Peas are weak-stemmed vining annuals with leaf-like stipules, leaves with one to three pairs of leaflets, and tendrils used for climbing. Peas grow 6 to 10 peas or seeds in a pod. Seeds are either smooth or wrinkled depending on the variety. Garden, English, and snap peas are grown for the maturing seeds in the pods. These are harvested when pods are 4 to 6 inches long and pods are bulging but before the pods begin to dry. Sugar and snow peas are grown for their edible pods. These are harvested when pods are 1½ to 2½ inches long and the peas inside are barely visible.

A primer on peas: click here.

Yield. Plant 30 plants per household member.

Site. Grow peas in rich, loamy soil that is well-drained. Peas will produce earlier if planted in sandy soil. Later crops can be planted in heavier, clay soil. Plant peas in full sun or partial shade. Peas prefer a soil pH of 5.5 to 6.8. Grow peas supported by poles, a trellis, or fence.

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English Peas, Spring Onions and Roasted Almonds

Just cooked English peas, sautéd spring onions and roasted, salted almonds are a delicious combination of tender sweet, sweet pungent, and crunchy just salty. You can set this side dish next to grilled fish or chicken or mashed potatoes and a roast. It's not too filling yet will holds its own.

English peas and spring onions are easy picking in spring. You'll find them plentiful at the farm market if you don't have them in your own garden. Both are sweetest and most tender early in the season.

English peas are the best eating when the pods turn bright green and just begin to bulge. To harvest the pes just split the pod open with your thumb and roll the peas out. Spring onions have just formed small bulbs. They're sweeter than mature onion but more pungent than a green onion. Spring onions don't require much cooking to be ready for the plate.

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English Peas: Harvest and Cooking

How do you cook peas? Peas are cooked in the least possible amount of water and in just the time for them to become just tender. The French cook peas in the water it takes to moisten lettuce leaves. Line a saucepan with damp greens and a few pea pods, pour in the shelled peas and cover them with moist lettuce. Steam the peas over a high heat for about 3 minutes or until they are al denté, just tender.

Be careful not to overcook peas. Boiling or long steaming will increase water absorption and cause the peas to become soggy and mushy. Both flavor and nutrients are sacrificed when peas are overcooked.

When the peas are ready, the simplest way to enjoy them is with butter, salt, and pepper.

Pea, garden pea, English pea are all the same. The pea is traditionally the first kitchen garden crop planted each year. It goes in the ground as soon as the soil can be worked. So--depending upon where you live--you are either sowing peas now or harvesting them.

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Baby Beets and Sugar Snap Peas with Orange Butter

Sweet and smooth baby beets--red, yellow, and orange--added to sugary sugar snap peas tossed with a tangy orange zest dressing and you have a seasonal salad that says Spring! You'll have to search to find someone who doesn't like this salad.

Baby beets and sugar snap peas are just hitting their peak in the garden. If you don't grow these, head to the farmers' market where they will be easy pickin' this time of year.

We had our first supper club meeting of the season this past Saturday evening, so Becky was at the Ferry Building farmers' market about mid-morning to pick up the beets and sugar snaps. These were fresh picked the day before.

Baby beets--about the size of a walnut--are tender, sweet, and juicy--better tasting than large ones. Choose a bunch--6 or 8 will do--all about the same size for even cooking. For this salad, the beets were individually wrapped in foil and roasted in the oven at 400ºF for about 45 minutes and then cooled in advance.

Sugar snap peas--you eat the entire pod, no shelling required--are perfect when the pods have just plumped. You'll want to serve these within a day of harvest to enjoy the pods' natural sweetness. About a half-pound or two cups of sugar peas will do.

Our friends Lonnie and Bruce supplied a navel orange from their backyard tree for our orange zesty dressing. You'll only need a few slivers of zest and a tablespoon of juice, so the sections are sweet snacking while preparing the salad.

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Pea Planting

When the soil in your garden warms to 45ºF (7ºC), you can plant peas—snap, snow, and shell.

Peas are tasty shelled from the pods and used raw in salads. You can steam peas as a vegetable, or cook them in soups and stews.

Peas prefer cool weather. They mature in about 60 days. So time your pea planting so your pea harvest comes before the weather turns warm. That means plant peas in late winter and very early spring (February and March in the northern hemisphere) in regions where there is seldom snow. In snowy winter regions, pea planting can start in mid spring (April in the northern hemisphere). As a general rule, peas can be planted six weeks before your last spring frost date.

Site. Peas also like full sun. The only reason to plant peas in part shade is if you live in a region where the weather turns hot quickly. Afternoon shade in hot and arid regions will give peas the cool air temperatures they prefer at harvest time. Peas do not do well when the daytime temperature rises above 80ºF (27ºC), The sugar levels of peas are higher in cool weather.

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English Peas

“Come tonight, the peas are ready!”

So started the invitation sent each spring in the first fresh peas of the year competition held by Thomas Jefferson and his neighbors.

Most gardeners say that it is impossible to buy peas that taste like those that come straight from the garden.

Garden peas—also commonly called English peas or green peas—are one of the first vegetables harvested in spring. They are best picked as soon as the pods fill out and the peas inside are fat and round.

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Peas

There are three kinds of peas. Peas that are shelled and the seeds are eaten either fresh or dried. Peas that have edible pods—the seeds and pod are eaten together whole. And peas that can either be shelled or eaten whole.

Shelling peas are valued for their seeds. Shelling peas are also called garden pea, green pea, baby pea, early pea, English pea, June pea, and by the French name petit pois. The seeds of the shelled pea are best eaten fresh shortly after they have been picked and shelled.

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