Easy Peas: Early Spring Gardening

Getting spry pea transplants like these ones takes hardening off your plants. Gradually set them outside for longer and longer periods during these warming days and--eventually--mild nights.

 

These sturdy seedlings from my Dad's pea batch are a couple weeks old, and spend the night in his garage.  You can still start your own pea transplants indoors now.  Poke seeds 1-2 inches into your growing mix (more about growing mixes and planting containers).  Keep moist and not too cold until sprouts appear.

Or, wait and plant seed directly in a few weeks once soil is workable: not too wet or cold. Take a fistfull--a clump should form easily but break up when dropped.  While peas love cool breezes, too-cold soil will thwart germination.  

Once peas poke out of the soil indoors, you can start hardening them off with more outdoor time, then transplant into garden.  

Whether transplanting or direct-seeding, peas love something to climb in the sunshine.  The the tasty shoots are even sweeter than the peas themselves--I like 'em in soups and salads (or fresh off the tendril...but only sneak a few--snapping that succulent meristem will stunt the vine's growth.)

(More details on what and how to plant now.)

What's your favorite way to eat peas?