Garden Living; Peas In a Pod

Garden Living; Peas In a Pod

How we grow and process our peas

Seedlings in the garden:

 

• We put up our posts and fencing first; you can also use a trellis.

• We plant 2 rows of peas, one on each side of the fence 1 inch apart and 1 inch deep.  

• Weed early to give your plants a chance to root.

Caring for the pea plants

• Keep the weeds down before they grow big.  Pea plant roots are not deep and if you’re not careful, the plant can be uprooted when you pull out bulky weeds.

• Help growing pea tendrils attach to trellis or fence by tucking in the upper pieces carefully.  They can break easily, so be gentle.

• Prevent pea tendrils from grabbing nearby plants. It can pull the plant down instead of growing vertically.

• Vertical growth of the pea plant is key as it helps avoid plants from rotting, and it is easier to find pea pods when the time is right.

Harvesting and Shucking peas

• The time is right to have your first picking of peas when about half or more of the pods look nice and plump.
• Leave the thin pea pods on the branches, you will come back for them soon in your second/last picking.
• Snap off the pod from the vine, being careful not to damage the plant. Pea plants are fairly delicate.

• Shuck the peas... it’s actually fun for the kids.  This chore gets done speedily.
• Have a few bowls ready for this task.
• Don’t forget to share the empty pods with your hungry farm friends.  Our turkeys enjoyed their feast.

Processing Your Peas

• Blanche the peas for 90 seconds in boiling water.
• Move quickly over to an ice bath for another 90 seconds.
• Drain and move to your labeled freezer bags.

               

We have completed our first and second picking.  Our second picking occurs as we pull the plants out.  The cucumber plants are growing right up the fence now that we have moved the pea plants out.  With the second picking, sometimes we find pea pods that are too dry or brown, but we can still use these for seeds instead of compost.  We did collect these pods and dried them inside on a paper plate.  When they were very dry, we cracked them to collect the dry pea seeds.   We will store them for next planting season, but will plan to order more seed as well since this is not nearly enough for us.

We hope you enjoyed this post and it was helpful for you.  My goal is to share what we’ve learned to successfully grow and store our own food and perhaps help you become a little more self sustainable.