November 15, 2011
The snow peas are thickly sown per Jim Crockett (Crockett’s Victory Garden), about one inch apart in a trench. See last winter’s snow peas.

Snow Peas ‘Golden Sweet Edible Podded’

Pea brush as early support until they find the six foot trellis behind.

Errant sweet peas sprouted in the gravel, suggesting it’s a good time to plant.

Gather what’s needed to plant the sweet peas and snow peas: seed saved from last year, soil inoculant and pea brush.

Nicking the seed with a file hastens germination. Apparently soaking overnight does not per comparison studies. Nicking takes time but read about some shortcuts.

Snow pea seed moistened and sprinkled with soil inoculant (nitrogen fixing bacteria).

Snow peas scattered “thickly” in trench that has been enriched with several inches of compost. More on growing sweet peas on an earlier post, A Good Time to Plant Sweet Peas.
Read Robert Frost’s poem Pea Brush from last March’s post. Here’s the first stanza:
I walked down alone Sunday after church
To the place where John has been cutting trees
To see for myself about the birch
He said I could have to bush my peas.
Dinner at Anne’s, a swim and blueberry crostata just out of the oven. Feels like the beginning of summer.
The first and the last of the season. Harvesting the first artichokes of spring and the last of winter’s cauliflower in a garden in the canyon.
Harvesting beets and fava beans in a garden in Beverly Hills.
A bouquet of broccoli.
Photograph by Brian Ferry
In the gardens at LACMA, the watercress and lettuce bed.
Photograph by Brian Ferry
apple blossoms
Harvesting purple cauliflower, romanesco, broccoli, purple podded peas, kale and spinach in a garden in Bel Air.
In the garden with Jeff, harvesting collard greens, beet greens and kale.
A galette of winter greens. Click the photo above for this delicious recipe.