Dinettas asks -

“I bought a bag of sugarsnap pea seeds, Yates…I have just the bed for them…it has not had vegetables growing in it for 2 years…any bullet-point advice please?”

———-
Dinetta is in emerald queensland – 20 ares of black clay.
down here in mexico the sugarsnap are a summer pea.
peas are a companion crop to just about everything – so i would grow a tall, widely spaced crop like broccoli between the peas.
they like lime so spread that at planting time.
birds like the peas so you might need hoops and birdnetting.

good luck and i hope you don’t mind me starting the new topic – it tends to get more attention.

pepe said:

Dinettas asks -

“I bought a bag of sugarsnap pea seeds, Yates…I have just the bed for them…it has not had vegetables growing in it for 2 years…any bullet-point advice please?”

———-
Dinetta is in emerald queensland – 20 ares of black clay.
down here in mexico the sugarsnap are a summer pea.
peas are a companion crop to just about everything – so i would grow a tall, widely spaced crop like broccoli between the peas.
they like lime so spread that at planting time.
birds like the peas so you might need hoops and birdnetting.

good luck and i hope you don’t mind me starting the new topic – it tends to get more attention.

thanks Pepe :)

Haven’t grown broccoli…cauliflour is possible here so I guess broccoli would be…not brussel sprouts tho’, not cold enough for long enough…

The bed I’m looking at has been backfilled with red clay loam, it responds well to cow manure…

hmmm, food for thought, so to speak…

Dinetta said:

pepe said:

Dinettas asks -

“I bought a bag of sugarsnap pea seeds, Yates…I have just the bed for them…it has not had vegetables growing in it for 2 years…any bullet-point advice please?”

———-
Dinetta is in emerald queensland – 20 ares of black clay.
down here in mexico the sugarsnap are a summer pea.
peas are a companion crop to just about everything – so i would grow a tall, widely spaced crop like broccoli between the peas.
they like lime so spread that at planting time.
birds like the peas so you might need hoops and birdnetting.

good luck and i hope you don’t mind me starting the new topic – it tends to get more attention.

thanks Pepe :)

Haven’t grown broccoli…cauliflour is possible here so I guess broccoli would be…not brussel sprouts tho’, not cold enough for long enough…

The bed I’m looking at has been backfilled with red clay loam, it responds well to cow manure…

hmmm, food for thought, so to speak…

I find that peas don’t really need freshly fertilised soil.
Sugar snaps die off here in summer. There is no way I can supply the water. They will not germinate either if the soil is too warm.

A good tip with all peas and beans. Soak the seed until it swells before planting. Sugar snaps require 2 metres of support.

Peas do like a straw mulch around the young plants. The flowers of peas will be affected by frosts though I find sugar snap peas to be the least affected.

Sugar snaps die off here in summer. There is no way I can supply the water. They will not germinate either if the soil is too warm.
————-
ha – the planting time debate – if i can’t grow them in winter and you have no luck in summer – that leaves spring and autumn.

broccoli should be alright – altho’ i’m not familiar with subtropical temps. can youse northerners grow eggplant and capsicum during the southern winter?

pepe said:

Sugar snaps die off here in summer. There is no way I can supply the water. They will not germinate either if the soil is too warm.
————-
ha – the planting time debate – if i can’t grow them in winter and you have no luck in summer – that leaves spring and autumn.

broccoli should be alright – altho’ i’m not familiar with subtropical temps. can youse northerners grow eggplant and capsicum during the southern winter?

Yes to the last one. In frost free areas. I haven’t grown them personally through the winter, haven’t grown them at all, but there was a couple of remnant ones at the office in Rockhampton, and it kept producing all year round until somebody pulled it out…capsicum…also I know rellies who grew eggplant in Biloela all year round…

Winter would be our best time in the vegetable garden, variety spreaking…

roughbarked said:

I find that peas don’t really need freshly fertilised soil.
Sugar snaps die off here in summer. There is no way I can supply the water. They will not germinate either if the soil is too warm.

A good tip with all peas and beans. Soak the seed until it swells before planting. Sugar snaps require 2 metres of support.

Peas do like a straw mulch around the young plants. The flowers of peas will be affected by frosts though I find sugar snap peas to be the least affected.

Thanks for the response, RoughBarked. The soil has not had any additions of fertilizer for nearly two years. It doesn’t grow anything at the moment, so I guess I will have to buy a new soil testing kit (Elle Mutto chewed the barium bottle of the last one) as I’m thinking the pH is important.

So: (1) correct soil pH if necessary
(2) soak bed and mulch thickly, sugar cane mulch is good…
(3) when days cool down a bit, e.g. late April, early March, start peas out of direct sunlight in standard 6” pots…when about 4” high, plant out into bed…
(4) while waiting for seeds to germinate, build supports, 2 metre stakes and will baling twine do for the rungs?

How am I going?

Dinetta said:

roughbarked said:

I find that peas don’t really need freshly fertilised soil.
Sugar snaps die off here in summer. There is no way I can supply the water. They will not germinate either if the soil is too warm.

A good tip with all peas and beans. Soak the seed until it swells before planting. Sugar snaps require 2 metres of support.

Peas do like a straw mulch around the young plants. The flowers of peas will be affected by frosts though I find sugar snap peas to be the least affected.

Thanks for the response, RoughBarked. The soil has not had any additions of fertilizer for nearly two years. It doesn’t grow anything at the moment, so I guess I will have to buy a new soil testing kit (Elle Mutto chewed the barium bottle of the last one) as I’m thinking the pH is important.

So: (1) correct soil pH if necessary
(2) soak bed and mulch thickly, sugar cane mulch is good…
(3) when days cool down a bit, e.g. late April, early March, start peas out of direct sunlight in standard 6” pots…when about 4” high, plant out into bed…
(4) while waiting for seeds to germinate, build supports, 2 metre stakes and will baling twine do for the rungs?

How am I going?

that’d be late March, early April?

bluegreen said:

that’d be late March, early April?

No Bluegreen…late April, early May…what was I thinking of? Had to re-read my post a couple of times (whoops)…I think I was remembering my parents coming across the idea of planting sweet peas on the “Ides of March”…they had to re-sow later that year as these did not germinate…

Dinetta said:

bluegreen said:

that’d be late March, early April?

No Bluegreen…late April, early May…what was I thinking of? Had to re-read my post a couple of times (whoops)…I think I was remembering my parents coming across the idea of planting sweet peas on the “Ides of March”…they had to re-sow later that year as these did not germinate…

ummm – a possible ten week delay before planting the peas?
personally i would spread lime, fork it in , forrow the ground and pop the seed in. you can do the birdnetting, trellissing etc later. peas don’t transplant that well and normally i sow them direct into the soil.
you might be right about waiting for the soil to cool down tho’ – local knowledge is a great thing. maybe plant some seed in the ground, some in pots and keep some unused in reserve.

I’d not mulch the soil until after they germinate.
Many seed would prefer the straw mulch after germination and I’d put corn and peas in that category.

Unless of course your mulch is thin at first.

Thick mulch can in many cases inhibit germination.

pepe said:

Dinetta said:

bluegreen said:

that’d be late March, early April?

No Bluegreen…late April, early May…what was I thinking of? Had to re-read my post a couple of times (whoops)…I think I was remembering my parents coming across the idea of planting sweet peas on the “Ides of March”…they had to re-sow later that year as these did not germinate…

ummm – a possible ten week delay before planting the peas?
personally i would spread lime, fork it in , forrow the ground and pop the seed in. you can do the birdnetting, trellissing etc later. peas don’t transplant that well and normally i sow them direct into the soil.
you might be right about waiting for the soil to cool down tho’ – local knowledge is a great thing. maybe plant some seed in the ground, some in pots and keep some unused in reserve.

That last bit is a good idea…

MrD said 40C at Blackall yesterday…yes I know, 400km away…but it’s still very hot in the sun of a day time…starts about 9:30ish instead of 8 am now…that’s autumn

roughbarked said:

I’d not mulch the soil until after they germinate.
Many seed would prefer the straw mulch after germination and I’d put corn and peas in that category.

Unless of course your mulch is thin at first.

Thick mulch can in many cases inhibit germination.

thanks for that, RoughBarked…we don’t get straw mulch out here that I can find…bagged lucerne mulch is the closest to straw that I can buy…it would seem that sugar cane mulch breaks down into good tilth, but that might just be moi…

Dinetta said:

pepe said:

Dinetta said:

bluegreen said:

that’d be late March, early April?

No Bluegreen…late April, early May…what was I thinking of? Had to re-read my post a couple of times (whoops)…I think I was remembering my parents coming across the idea of planting sweet peas on the “Ides of March”…they had to re-sow later that year as these did not germinate…

ummm – a possible ten week delay before planting the peas?
personally i would spread lime, fork it in , forrow the ground and pop the seed in. you can do the birdnetting, trellissing etc later. peas don’t transplant that well and normally i sow them direct into the soil.
you might be right about waiting for the soil to cool down tho’ – local knowledge is a great thing. maybe plant some seed in the ground, some in pots and keep some unused in reserve.

That last bit is a good idea…

MrD said 40C at Blackall yesterday…yes I know, 400km away…but it’s still very hot in the sun of a day time…starts about 9:30ish instead of 8 am now…that’s autumn

If it is that hot then yes you will need to mulch in order to get seed to germinate.. but.. tickle your soil with a fork throw the seed on top and then cover with hay that is well on the way to being well rotted

Pepe last year i planted mine in April i am going to do this again as well may be the Easter weekend. if i get some seeds soon.

veg gardener said:

Pepe last year i planted mine in April i am going to do this again as well may be the Easter weekend. if i get some seeds soon.

yes i remember you telling me.
i have planted some (Greenfeast) beneath straw fairly close to the toms i was talking about.

many peas can be grown from late summer on in cooler areas.
——————-
morning RB
i’m learning
- my ground against the fence is still too hard and dry – as soon as i can i’ll try a few snow and snaps in there – i have always grown them as spring peas in the past.

pepe said:

many peas can be grown from late summer on in cooler areas.
——————-
morning RB
i’m learning
- my ground against the fence is still too hard and dry – as soon as i can i’ll try a few snow and snaps in there – i have always grown them as spring peas in the past.

Depends upon your area and frosts really but many people in southern australia can grow peas in all but the very hot months. Frosts do stop many of us from getting peas but the plants usually survive until after the frosts and continue to crop in spring.
My mum always had autumn crops and spring crops of peas.