Good morning, we're off! Welcome to Saturday Morning Garden Blogging
It's been an astoundingly beautiful week here in Denver — especially for mid-February.
On Wednesday, the warmest day of the week, the high was 67° — 67°! That was the culmination of a heat wave that started with Sunday's high of 66°.
It's cooled down since then — the high yesterday was "only" 58°, and heading into the weekend we're forecast to stay on the cooler side. We even have a chance of rain/snow on Sunday.
But our overall weather has been so much milder than usual this winter that the first crocus of the year already has bloomed.
Which means the end is in sight, and spring is definitely on the way.
Not only do I have a crocus blooming there are growth buds on the jackmani clematis. Is that cool or what?
Now, winter is not over — and Denver could still get hit with a bout of single-digit weather. However, with this first crocus comes the certainty that the time is here for starting the snap peas. This comes up every year, so I thought it might be a good idea to go into my process in detail.
Years ago, the common wisdom was that one couldn't start peas indoors and transplant them out— if I recall correctly the theory was that the roots were too fragile and the plants wouldn't thrive.
However, I got tired of direct sowing peas in mid to late March, only to have slow germination at a rate of only 75% or less, with the rest of the seed rotting because the weather turned just a bit too cold, or a bit too wet (and we do have wild and wide weather swings in Denver). Further, the sporadic germination was especially problematic as my gardening space is very small and I hated wasting the space, and peas produce better when the vines are closely planted. Finally, as snap pea season is very brief and can easily cut short by a bout of unseasonable warmth in June, it was important to me to have the peas actually growing, rather than waiting for them to germinate in the veggie patch, as early as possible
So, as is not unusual for me, I ignored the "experts" and began starting my snap peas indoors, using Dixie bathroom cups as starter pots. It worked pretty well — although I still had a problem with seed rot with the seeds that were slower to germinate than their siblings -- unsprouted seeds need to be treated differently than seedlings.
An extra step was needed: I spread the seed on damp paper towels, covered with more damp paper towels, and waited until I had solid sprouts before potting them up.
My germination rate is now at about 95%. I have strong seedlings to put out in the garden by late March. My harvest season is earlier, and lasts longer. It's a win-win-win.
It's really easy to do. Start by soaking the peas in water for a few hours to start the hydration process. Then put a thick layer of paper towels down in a shallow tray and pour water in until the paper towels are saturated; tip and drain out any excess water — the seed can not be in standing water or they will rot. Lay the peas out so they aren't touching (again, a precautionary measure against rot; if one pea starts to rot and it's touching another, the rot will spread). Saturate another thick layer of paper towels and lay on top of the peas. Peas need a cool (but not cold!) place to germinate; keep them as dark as possible, but dim light is OK. I usually put the trays out of the way under furniture in the living room.
Check every day to make sure that the paper towels stay wet (they need to be more than damp, but not dripping wet, KWIM?), and to check for sprouted seed. I usually wait until both the root and leaf ends of the seed is sprouted before I pot them up — 3 to 4 seeds per Dixie cup is OK, as peas really like being close to their neighbors and it saves space. If you remember (and I often don't) dust a little legume inoculant in with the sprouts. The inoculant provides a bacterium that improves the nitrogen-fixing ability of the peas which helps the plants and improves soil quality.
You'll want to set the seedlings outside as early as possible, as often as possible, for as long as possible, so they grow in a hardened-off manner. They can stay outside in on a porch or other sheltered spot overnight as long as temperatures don't dip too far before freezing. The only danger is if it would become so cold that the soil in the pots freezes solid.
In Denver, St. Patrick's Day is the traditional day for planting peas, but your mileage may vary. Let's just say if your gardening guides say it's OK to plant cool weather seeds — you can plant out cool weather seedlings; most plants need a bit more warmth to sprout than the seedlings need to grow.
My favorite snap pea varieties are Sugar Lace II from Pinetree Garden Seed, and Sugar Sprint (an early producer) from Territorial.
That's what's happening here. What's going on in your garden?