Reflecting on Peas (and Favas)

I think our days of harvesting peas are coming to an end, so I thought I’d record my thoughts on how things went for us this year. It has been so yummy and fun to eat fresh peas; no garden should be without them!

• Number of Plants: we planted 8′ of Sugar Anns, 8′ of Sugar Snaps, 8′ of Blizzard Snow Peas, 8′ of Mayfair Shell Peas, and 10′ of fava beans. The peas were spaced according to package directions, I think (or maybe according to Eliot Coleman’s suggestions?), about 2″ apart. 8′ was just right for the Sugar Anns, Sugar Snaps, and Blizzard Snow Peas; we had enough to eat fresh peas for snacking and meals without wasting a bunch or being overwhelmed. If we ever wanted to freeze some (and I’m thinking I’d like to try freezing snow peas in the near future), we’d need to plant at least twice as much. 8′ of Mayfair Shell Peas isn’t nearly enough for freezing. We’ve just been eating shell peas these past few days, and there won’t be enough for anything beyond fresh eating. To freeze enough for the winter, we should plant two to three times as much next year. As for the favas, they failed, so I don’t know how many we’d need to plant.
• Timing of Plantings: We planted the peas and favas on 5/3/09, and it was far too late. You can plant peas in March around here, so I’ll try succession plantings next year, starting in March or April. Probably at least one or two successions ought to do it. The Sugar Anns were earliest, and I picked the first one on 6/13. I loved how early and productive the Sugar Anns were, so the are a definite repeat. The Sugar Snaps took much longer and really didn’t kick it into high gear until last week. I could be wrong, but they weren’t as productive. Maybe if I plant them earlier, they’ll do better, cooler weather and all. But I think I like the flavor of the Sugar Snaps just a smidge better, so we’re doing them again, too. The Blizzard Snow Peas started producing between the Sugar Anns and the Sugar Snaps, and they were very productive. With earlier and succesive sowing, they’ll be fantastic next year. I was happy with how well the Blizzards produced. The Mayfair Shells were the last thing to really get going, so we just started eating them, really. Earlier will definitely be better for them. (Seeing a trend? Earlier, earlier, earlier with the peas.) And the favas did so horribly that it’s hard to know what to blame it on, but they can be planted even earlier than peas and thrive in cool weather. So they’ll go out first next year, if I decide to try again.
• Germination: The Sugar Snaps didn’t germinate as well as everything else.  There were quite a few gaps in the row. Whether that’s due to the seed or little critters, we’ll never know.
• Spacing: I did one row per 30″ wide raised row, but I think I could get away with two, even without extra watering. So I will see about setting up the trellis to handle peas on both sides next year to double the plantings without having to go to 16′.
• Trellising: We set up a typical Eliot Coleman 2″ x 2″ x 8′ support around the Sugar Snaps, which were the only vining pea we bought. There was one pole at each end of the pea row, with another pole across the top to stabilize. We strung twine from the top and tied it to a horizontal twine that was stretched just above the ground on the bottom. There was one string for each pea plant. It worked fine, but our twine (which is biodegradable and made of a natural material of some sort) stretched out over time, and made the peas sway from side to side. Some huge wind storms knocked the peas right off the strings, too, though I’m not sure even the strongest trellis would have stood up to that storm. So for next year, tie the strings in a way that allows them to be tightened somehow. As for the Sugar Anns, Blizzard Snows, and Mayfair Shells, we didn’t trellis them, because the packets and internet searching assured us that we didn’t need to. But we should have. They just toppled right over, especially after wind storms, and picking them involves supporting the plant with one hand and harvesting with the other. Not convenient. Simple poles 3′ high at each end (which we actually installed but didn’t make use of) will do just fine. We can just tie twine from pole to pole at 10″ and 18″ or so, and the plants will be held up in the middle by the twine on the outside. They don’t really need to climb anything (though they will if given the chance); they just need some support.
• Flavor: All four of the pea varieties tasted great. I’d grow them all again. I was especially blown away by how great the fresh shell peas tasted; I had never eaten shell peas fresh from the garden, and WOW I have been missing out. I like peas, but have only had them canned or frozen from the store (and I have eaten fresh sugar snaps before). Fresh shell peas are amazing. Truly a reason to garden – tomatoes and shell peas. As I said before, I preferred the flavor of the Sugar Snaps over the Sugar Anns, but just a smidge, and the earliness of the Sugar Anns makes them a clear keeper.
• Fava Bean Failure: Something attacked our favas. We saw thousands of ants all over them, which much googling told me was because of aphids or something. I never totally got it, but many of the blossoms turned black and wilted off, and we’ve only harvested four mature pods of fava beans. There are more growing, but we’ll never harvest enough for a good meal. We left the favas there, figuring that whatever was attacking them was leaving everything else alone, and it seemed to work. So far. We’ll probably need to burn them when they’re done. I don’t know if we’ll try them again next year or not. I like the variety, and having something besides peas in the spring would be nice. But I’ve never tasted fava beans, still, so I don’t know if they’re worth trying again. We’ll see if we have the space and gumption to give it go in 2010.