The birds and the peas
Tips and tasks for the week in the garden.
Now is a great time to get a head start on the pea season. Admittedly, plants will grow slowly over coming months but underground they’ll be building up healthy roots and, more importantly, nitrogen-harvesting rootnodules. Once the days start to get longer and soil temperatures rise in spring, the plants will take off, producing masses of blossom (just in time for the first bees) and, a short time later, no lack of sweet, green pods. In the meantime, you’ll be able to pick bunches of pea shoots for salads, soups and risotto.
Grow peas in the sunniest spot in your garden. Plant seeds direct in pairs about one finger joint-deep. Cover and water. Germination can take up to a fortnight at this time of year. Some gardeners like to pre-soak pea seeds to hasten their germination. Although it certainly has this effect, it can also increase the risk of fungal problems. Sow into well-worked, loose soil because if the emerging taproot cannot push down easily, it will force the seed up and out where a hungry bird will likely eat it.
Peas do need support as they grow. Stakes 40-50cm high work well. The goal is to keep the plants off the ground, where they’ll form impossible tangles and few pods.
Post-harvest, pea plants can be dug straight into the ground as a green manure. Their root systems are rich in nitrogen and will nourish whatever you plant next.
Watch out for birds, slugs and snails. The latter two can cause crippling damage on rainy nights and appear to take particular pleasure in rasping open young pods. When sparrows get a taste for peas they can cause a lot of trouble, fast. They’ll eat the leaves, flowers, pods – whatever they can pull loose and fit down their beaky maws. If you notice this occurring, cover plants quickly with bird netting. Sparrows are fickle, though. Some years they won’t show the slightest bit of interest in greens, other years nothing is safe around them.
2. WATER YOUR CELERY PLANTS
It’s still quite dry in parts of the country, so keep your celery growing with regular watering. Celery trying to grow without enough moisture tends to form stringy, bitter stalks instead of nice crisp, fat ones. There’s still time to plant seedlings. Just dig compost into the soil first.
3. COLOURFUL GAP FILLERS
Calendulas are an excellent performer over winter. They deliver months of colour, grow effortlessly and quickly from seed and are bothered by few diseases. Calendulas are edible (although not overly exciting) and look lovely in a salad. They look lovelier still in the garden, when everything else is either dead or some sort of cabbage.
Sow seeds now before the cold truly hits. Varieties to try this year include the daisy-like ‘Daisy Faces’, ‘Indian Prince’ and ‘Sunset Tones’, ‘Orange Porcupine’ or try a blend of varieties like ‘Dwarf Colours Mixed’ and ‘Complete Tall Mixture’, all from Kings Seeds. Information courtesy of Get Growing and
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