tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post3584622121146945139..comments2024-03-24T11:10:13.186-04:00Comments on The Gardening Me: Peas & FavasMargarethttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-39476739817868576832015-05-20T14:09:01.189-04:002015-05-20T14:09:01.189-04:00The weather has been so hot lately (well up until ...The weather has been so hot lately (well up until the last couple of days, anyhow) - I'm crossing my fingers, Norma, that I actually get a fava harvest!<br /><br />Transplanting beans and peas is an intriguing idea. I use such close spacing for the peas, that I definitely wouldn't have enough room for them under the lights. However, beans are a different story and I can see myself giving that a try at some point.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-20565365124431045882015-05-19T19:31:32.147-04:002015-05-19T19:31:32.147-04:00Tried growing favas but was unsuccessful looking f...Tried growing favas but was unsuccessful looking forward to reading about your experience. I start my peas and bean seeds in pots and transplant the seedlings so much easier and no bird issue.norma changhttp://gardentowok.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-63638501090808000592015-05-18T17:10:02.922-04:002015-05-18T17:10:02.922-04:00I don't even have blooms on mine yet and our s...I don't even have blooms on mine yet and our spring weather in the past few weeks has been more like summer weather...which would be great for peppers and tomatoes (which of course aren't even planted out yet) but not so great for the cool weather plants like spinach and favas.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-72226238560653967062015-05-18T17:08:07.575-04:002015-05-18T17:08:07.575-04:00I don't know anyone that grows them around her...I don't know anyone that grows them around here so I have no idea whether our spring is too short for them. Even if they don't do well this year, I'll likely try again and plant them earlier next year.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-77181826534856951372015-05-18T12:51:15.140-04:002015-05-18T12:51:15.140-04:00Sugar snap pea is my number one favorite among all...Sugar snap pea is my number one favorite among all peas. Like you I also sow my fava beans WAY too late (as usual), it's blooming now and the weather is still a tad on the cool side lately, don't know I'll get a harvest in June/July.Machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08837486464329151966noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-76675850518595738972015-05-18T09:56:31.692-04:002015-05-18T09:56:31.692-04:00Love fresh peas! They rarely make it to the freeze...Love fresh peas! They rarely make it to the freezer for winter as I eat them raw as a snack and cook in stirfry for my husband. Really wish Favas grew here better, but it goes from freezing to hot and not enough cool season to grow them well. Love the purple seeds. Jenny Rottingerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09559432369642740389noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-78154036241972397702015-05-18T08:56:38.022-04:002015-05-18T08:56:38.022-04:00Oops - I think my eggplants are causing me to have...Oops - I think my eggplants are causing me to have flea beetles on the brain. I don't think I've ever seen black aphids. But then again, I didn't have any problems with aphids at all until I planted mei qing last year...so now I'm wondering what surprises the favas and all the other new veg I'm growing will bring.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-18152594070398065142015-05-17T21:42:07.909-04:002015-05-17T21:42:07.909-04:00Not flea beetles, black aphids. It's amazing. ...Not flea beetles, black aphids. It's amazing. I never see an aphid until I plant favas.David Veltenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07710293718143454000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-17451018538248093442015-05-15T09:05:51.917-04:002015-05-15T09:05:51.917-04:00Chicken wire would be a great solution if I was on...Chicken wire would be a great solution if I was only growing one double row of peas - it's definitely easier to handle than the cattle panel which is much heavier than I anticipated. But since I am growing two double rows, one behind the other, the trellis spacing has to be wide enough to allow for access to the peas in the back row.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-3912112013446830162015-05-15T00:53:52.842-04:002015-05-15T00:53:52.842-04:00I too think that peas are "special". The...I too think that peas are "special". The taste of a fresh pea just picked from the vine is incomparable! I have had to give up growing them because they always fell victim to mildew. However, I always grow Broad Beans (Favas) and they usually do very well. I sow mine in the early Spring and harvest them in June. When I grew peas I used to use chicken wire as a support system and it worked well. It is flexible, yet sturdy enough for you to be able to rip the vines off easily when they have finished.Mark Willishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04558305122821209520noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-48533532409317051862015-05-14T10:09:35.959-04:002015-05-14T10:09:35.959-04:00I looked for brush to support the peas last year, ...I looked for brush to support the peas last year, but wasn't overly successful at finding "good" branches. But considering how tall the peas got (around 3') & the winds we sometimes get, I'm not confident that would have been enough support.<br /><br />We've had quite the warm spring this year as well, although you wouldn't know it from this mornings temp of 1C (34F)! It fell to 0 last night, but only for about an hour, so I'm hopeful that it didn't harm the blossoms on the fruit trees.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-11985372866495608772015-05-14T09:59:11.543-04:002015-05-14T09:59:11.543-04:00I was just about to purchase that concrete reinfor...I was just about to purchase that concrete reinforcing mesh yesterday for the peas & then discovered that is rusts extremely easily - in fact, it was already all rusty at the store. It is relatively inexpensive, however - two 4' x 8' sections would cost only $20 vs. $50 for cattle panels. I'm not sure if the rustiness would even impact anything other than how it looks, but I'm not willing to take any chances, so I'm going to bite the bullet and get the cattle panels. At least I know they will last for many, many years.<br /><br />Eek - I didn't realize that favas were flea beetle magnets. I know that eggplant is and I'm growing that for the first time this year too. I haven't had too many issues with flea beetles up, but now that I have two new very attractive flea beetle veg growing, who knows. Thanks for the warning - I'll be keeping a very close eye on them. Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-24182188325117174282015-05-14T09:47:33.652-04:002015-05-14T09:47:33.652-04:00I grew Cascadia last year (which I think is the sa...I grew Cascadia last year (which I think is the same as you grew - why can't these seed houses be consistent with names?) and it grew to about that height, although I was expecting it to be much shorter, so I didn't provide anywhere near the support it needed. This year, I'm planning on hammering in rebar for the corners of the bush pea block - we'll see if that helps with the whole flattening issue.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-27310798049835223572015-05-14T09:42:40.554-04:002015-05-14T09:42:40.554-04:00How lucky you are to be able to overwinter fava be...How lucky you are to be able to overwinter fava beans for an early spring harvest. I've had issues with planting peas for the fall as I never seem to have a spot available for them early enough for them to mature. I'm hoping that I can figure something out on that front this year.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-67622846777036041952015-05-14T07:15:57.218-04:002015-05-14T07:15:57.218-04:00When I used to grow peas I always used 'pea br...When I used to grow peas I always used 'pea brush' for support for the shorter types. I do love the sugar snaps too. If I grew a pea it would likely be them. I have never grown favas, so it will be interesting to watch yours and see how they perform. Our weather heats up so fast in spring that it is tough to get cool weather crops to do well then.Dave @ HappyAcreshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03441364543023807886noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-42008043519965239262015-05-13T16:51:30.618-04:002015-05-13T16:51:30.618-04:00Just checked out the photo ... yes, that's som...Just checked out the photo ... yes, that's something like I was envisioning, thanks.Susiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10354350096358468967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-89735788882892336062015-05-13T16:48:48.326-04:002015-05-13T16:48:48.326-04:00I'm "block free" this year, totally ...I'm "block free" this year, totally trellised, so we won't be able to compare notes. For the peas I'll be erecting 8 foot trellises soon. I considered the twine approach. It would be nice to be able to cut it down and throw in the compost. Maybe I will see if I can find that reinforcing mesh again. If that fails I have a 50 foot package of garden trellis I can fall back on Good luck with the favas. They are an aphid magnet. I never see an aphid in my garden except when I plant favas. They must be a freebie that comes with the seed.David Veltenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07710293718143454000noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-65910040585621628272015-05-13T16:17:06.275-04:002015-05-13T16:17:06.275-04:00Good luck with your peas. I always stuck with Casc...Good luck with your peas. I always stuck with Cascade snap peas as they only got 3' tall and it was easier to trellis them. I just used jute. But I would occasionally add more as the season progressed and they tried to tangle in other things. Daphne Gouldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17305049560953735881noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-62635040608238305772015-05-13T15:20:19.849-04:002015-05-13T15:20:19.849-04:00Your spring peas and fava beans are looking wonder...Your spring peas and fava beans are looking wonderful. Your extra tall beds look great too. Some shelling peas have tasty sweet young pods. Tall Telephone peas are super sweet and yummy when they're flat, just like snow peas.<br /><br />It gets too hot too early here for spring peas, I'm going to be trying a fall planting. Fall planted Windsor fava broad beans have over-wintered well for me in this area.Phuonghttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07658691564062044986noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-54906142089125956182015-05-13T12:52:46.449-04:002015-05-13T12:52:46.449-04:00Last year I used a combination of the conduit trel...Last year I used a combination of the conduit trellis & bamboo poles for the beans and it worked out really well. On either end & in the middle of the conduit trellis, I had 2 bamboo poles, crossing at the top & then stretched jute along the bottom and vertically along the entire trellis. You can kind of see the trellis in this post - http://homegrown-adventuresinmygarden.blogspot.ca/2014/08/whats-happening-in-garden-mid-august.html. In this case, the jute worked out just fine as the beans grab onto it really well & wind around the actual conduit, so I didn't have any issues with them flopping around or the jute stretching. Once again, it's easier to see in pictures than to describe. I'll post photos once I get my beans in the ground in a couple of weeks.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-84211817526474107172015-05-13T12:41:51.970-04:002015-05-13T12:41:51.970-04:00That's good to know about the favas - now if t...That's good to know about the favas - now if they would only get going and grow!<br /><br />Funny you should mention growing the peas in between the supports as that is exactly what I have planned. I have two double rows of peas sowed in between the two conduit trellises - one row is directly under each trellis and the other rows are 4" apart in between the trellises. I figured this would keep them from flopping over in either direction. The only thing is that the trellises may be too far apart at about 18" and the peas will flop down in between them. I may have to help them along at some point.Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-16779216752077903742015-05-13T11:41:25.509-04:002015-05-13T11:41:25.509-04:00It definitely was a great pea harvest last year - ...It definitely was a great pea harvest last year - so delicious! I did consider using small branches, but the thing with the "bush" peas is that they seem to grow quite a bit taller than expected (this happened last year anyhow) & I'm not sure sticks would be sufficient. One good gust of wind and they would likely come tumbling down. I've never even heard of pea grubs - they do not sound pleasant!Margarethttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15949946977793864054noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-87818673070742651392015-05-13T10:52:18.040-04:002015-05-13T10:52:18.040-04:00Oh my gosh, I'm experiencing the same issue re...Oh my gosh, I'm experiencing the same issue re: trellis. I don't grow a lot of peas so just using bamboo poles (although I don't know why as they didn't work well for me last year). But for pole beans ... I honestly haven't made a decision yet on what to use and need to decide soon!Susiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10354350096358468967noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-45503148401091966382015-05-13T09:51:54.750-04:002015-05-13T09:51:54.750-04:00Sugar Snaps are definitely the one pea for me, alt...Sugar Snaps are definitely the one pea for me, although I have been trying snow peas also. I really like Golden Sweet snow peas, they are pretty and their harvest stretches out a bit longer than other snow peas that I've tried. I run my peas up a trellis made from galvanized concrete reinforcing mesh with 6-inch square openings. The only problem with that system is that the pea plants lean towards or away from the sunny side and don't attach well on that side so I end up having to tie them to the trellis so that they don't flop. I'm thinking of trying to grow them between a double trellis to keep them contained.<br /><br />Hope your fava trials go well. I suspect that if the plants bloom and set before the hot weather sets in that they might do ok.Michellehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07812702328134261533noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2884216770926932676.post-24058429981479207132015-05-13T09:26:41.950-04:002015-05-13T09:26:41.950-04:00The jute may not have worked so well but wow, you ...The jute may not have worked so well but wow, you had a great harvest. I can see the plants dripping with pods. I haven't planted peas or broad beans this year. I'm not so keen on broad beans, or I should really say that they're my least favourite bean, so I give the space to runners and French beans. Peas I love but pea grubs I don't so I always net them when I do grow them and sometimes it just seems too much bother, especially when the rest of the family aren't really bothered for peas. They are delicious eaten straight from the pod though, yum yum. What about twiggy sticks for support? They seem to do ok so long as they've got something to grab hold of. I'm growing mange tout again this year but I think it's been a bit cold for them, they're not putting on much growth just yet.Johttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17436932004631816039noreply@blogger.com