Let It Grow
By Tammy Thornton
Gardeners know that the perfect way to start your St. Patrick’s Day morning is by planting peas in your garden. Though many garden plants must wait until the last frost of the season, peas can be started much sooner. These cool-season plants can be planted as soon as you can dig through the top few inches of your soil. Your goal is to have your peas reach maturity before it gets too hot. They can even handle a light frost when the plants are young.
If you want to follow tradition when planting peas, you must actually start planning on St. Patrick’s Day Eve. To give your peas the best chance of germination, you will want to soak them overnight before planting them. Grab your packet of peas, dump them in a container and cover them with water. By morning, the dried seeds will have swollen to look just like peas you would eat. In the past, I have gotten distracted and couldn’t plant them until the next day, but don’t wait more than 48 hours or they may start to rot. Another method to speed up the germination of peas consists of placing pea seeds in a damp paper towel and placing them inside a baggie. The moist conditions will allow the hard outer shell to soften. In a few days, you will see the seed sprout. When using this method, be cautious with the tiny, fragile sprout. Try both methods and let us know which one was more successful. Personally, I prefer the soaking method. When you are ready to plant your peas in the ground, insert supports before planting. I like to use six-foot-long bamboo stakes, forming a teepee and tying the top with twine. Then plant the peas about an inch deep around the stakes.
Planting potatoes is another way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day in the garden. If you have never attempted planting potatoes, you may want to try this fun and rewarding gardening project. Potatoes are not grown from packets of seeds, but seed potatoes. You can buy these from garden stores. They are simply potatoes that can be cut into pieces, making sure each section has “eyes,” which is where the sprouts will appear. It is best not to use potatoes from the grocery store, since there is a chance that they have been sprayed with chemicals. Seed potatoes will be more likely to be disease-free and free of growth-retardant chemicals. Plant your seed potatoes two to four weeks before that last expected frost in an area that receives at least six hours of sunlight per day. Make sure the soil is well-drained, or your potatoes will rot. Plant the sprouted “seeds” in a six-inch deep hole and cover with soil. You can also use growing bags specifically made for growing vegetables such as potatoes. Spread a four-inch layer of potting soil in the growing bag and place two to four seed potatoes in the bag (depending on the size of the bag), then cover with more soil. As the foliage grows, continue to add soil so that only the very tops of the leaves are sticking out. You will want to continue to “hill up” the soil about halfway up the plant as it grows. The potatoes (tubers) should remain well below the surface of the soil so that they are not exposed to the sun. Otherwise, the potatoes can turn green and have a bad and bitter taste. Potatoes will be ready to harvest when the leaves turn yellow and the plant begins to look like it is dead. At this point, stop watering your potatoes and wait two to three weeks. Then it will be time to go treasure hunting to see if your potato planting was a success.
After starting peas and potatoes on St. Patrick’s Day, you can plant more of each vegetable two weeks later, for a successive crop. As the weather warms, the plants will take off. You will want to harvest your peas as soon as the pods fill out. If you wait too long, they won’t taste as sweet. Homegrown peas are so good that you can eat them directly from the pod. The potatoes will take a bit longer and may not be mature until summer.
We would love to hear about your successes (or learning moments) in the garden. Send your comments and questions to shorelocagardener@gmail.com.
Tammy Thornton lives with her husband, children, and crazy pets while enjoying a life of gardening, cooking, and going to the beach.
