Today I Planted Peas for the Third Time this Spring

Bob Bauer

March 28, 2017 (Last Updated: March 06, 2023) | Reading Time: 1 minutes

March 28, 2017

Today I planted peas for the third time this spring. This time I made a 4" tall row of compost along the trellis, and planted the seeds one inch deep, so even if we have monsoon rains in April the water will have to wick up to the seeds. If I see puddling I'll trench both sides. It's a raised row. I also planted green beans under the plastic sheet I had down..

It's wired planting peas and beans at the same time. Beans are too early and peas are too late. Well, you know us gardeners are a jovial lot of adventurous risk takers right? I think I gambled a whole 68 cents today..

March 29, 2017

The night before last 13 corn came up under the plastic. I cut holes above them so they wouldn't get cooked and last night 6 more came up. It's official. 8b hardiness zone gardners can plant corn in March now under plastic. Even if the last 5 seeds don't germinate I've still got a better yield than last years planting in April without plastic. The plastic on the mounds, although heating the soil, is providing shelter for the pill bugs and sow bugs that are continuing to eat my transplants..

Each plant is circled with diatomaceous earth but they cross over it to feed on the plants. I think it probably takes days to kill them because unlike a poison it cuts them at their joints and they bleed to death. Sounds grusome. Maybe I'll switch to poison..

March 30, 2017

Three more corn came up last night leaving only two seeds ungerminated. I've decided to leave the plastic on for awhile to get them growing more rapidly. I'll find out how early we can get sweet corn on the cob this spring. I'll move the plastic to the next corn patch when I plant it. It's been Hula hoed three times this spring, and it's been so rainy that the weeds rerooted, so l had to hand weed it and remove the weeds..

It's too wet to cover now anyway. Best to let it dry out some. In the meantime I'll be direct seeding broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage and transplanting out Brussels sprouts..

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