Garden Peas

[jemagsy]

Has anyone else ever tried Thomas Laxton garden peas from Burpee?

The peas I started 9 days ago have already gotten to 6 inches tall. Is this typically for the type?

 

[allabout]

No way!! I've never tried that one but now I'm interested. I have already been thinking about my early spring garden and garden peas are #1 on my list, irish potatoes #2!! Where did you get your seeds?

It's been years since I helped my grandmother with the garden peas ("english peas" she calls them). It always depended on the temp. of the ground. A warm spell and they shoot up, then have a cold snap and you will see them slow significantly.

Keep us updated on how they are doing....send pics with them!!!

 

[jemagsy]

I got them from Burpees... I still have not gotten the 2009 catalog from them (it is time for it isn't it), but I ordered these online under their heirloom vegetables selection.

I will post some more pics tomorrow (some of them are up to 9 inches tall now 10 days after planting).

 

[allabout]

Goodness! That growth rate almost sounds like kudzu!!

Online....okay, just wanted to make sure they haven't made it to Wal-Mart garden section before we get our catalog!!

Watching for your pics.....

 

[jemagsy]

Okay out of the 60 seeds I tried to germinate, 60 of them sprouted.... 100% germination rate. Hopefully I'll be able to get some veggies out of these.

Note: The seeds on the paper towels are the seeds I planted tonight (there are 28 in case you're counting/wondering and they are included in the total above). I had germinated in a wet paper-towel inside a baggie.

The plants in the newspaper pots (32 of these) are ones I started on December 5th. I started them in groups of four-five seeds per styrofoam cup thinking only 1-2, maybe 3 would germinate per cup and I'd be able thin out the weaker ones....

 

[allabout]

Wow...I am sold!!! That is so impressive! Exellent photos for examples, thanks. And I really like the use of newspapers for pots. I noticed beav had a post on the French gardens and in one of the pictures they had used tolet paper rolls for starter pots! (Dang French, great gardens, chickens...I'm so jealous) I'm LOVING those money saving tips!!

Now, I wanted an acre of peas....how many packs you think I will need? Let's see, 1 lb. will give me 100 ft. Well, I'll do the math later (hehe).

Did you purchase any other seeds that you were especially happy with?

 

[jemagsy]

The newspaper pots work out great for us too, because I attend a local community college p/t and they always have free papers out trying to increase the readership. So hey - free pots (excluding the two dabs of scotch tape of course)!

TSC had a really interesting Popular Farming Series mag by their checkout out about a week or two ago when I was in there. It was Volume 7 - "Heirloom Farm." It was about $10 US but I considered it well worth it. There were tons of articles on starting stuff from seeds and (although I found some of the same stuff while browsing the net)... it is a handy reference.

I haven't started any of the other seeds yet... after how quickly these sprouted I am going to wait until the end of December to start my tomatoes. I found some info where you can get them outside about 4-6 weeks earlier than everyone else using indoor starting and cold frames/cloches so I think I'll be safe (our frost free date is supposed to be March 31st, which seems pretty accurate if memory serves and according to the Farmer's Almanac I'm supposed to be able to plant them outside as early as March 15th...). I also think I'm going to go back and buy some yellow pear tomato seeds... they look delicious! Of course I also want to try the Cherokee Purple (note I already have two types of tomato seeds and I definitely do not need more... I can see how this stuff gets addicting). If you Google "heirloom vegetables" you should find all sorts of interesting varieties I definitely had no idea existed.

A bit of advice on the seeds too, some of those package claim like 200 seeds and so on, and believe me there in there, but what I realized was how few seeds 100 or 200 actually is! I was thinking there was no way I'd be able to plant that much, but now I'm thinking of what all I need to go back and buy more seed packets of. Anyways good luck!!

 

[beavis]

Here is that picture of the guy in France using toilet paper rolls for pots...



http://www.flickr.com/photos/hardworkinghippy/474343270/in/set-72057594064739567/

 

[beavis]

You know, those soon to be empty XMAS wrapping paper rolls would make a lot of seed starter pots........

 

[sunnychooks]

Here is that picture of the guy in France using toilet paper rolls for pots...

That's what I did last year. I cut each roll in half and it worked great. I was able to transplant the seedling without disturbing the root system (just dropped TP roll and all into the hole). The rolls will simply biodegrate.