Planting Peas in April
I read today that a good time to plant peas might be when the soil temperature is around 50 degrees. I also read that if the overnight temps are in the 40's and it gets up to 55 or so during the day it's a good time to plant. Well, it's high 30s overnight now, and today it's in the mid 50s, though we've had warmer days recently.
Before I even read all that though, we planted our peas yesterday. I guess the timing was okay.
I had been wandering around the yard for a few days observing what little sunshine there was to determine if I would be able to get anything to grow anywhere. We have lots of sun on the back corner of our lot, but we also have a pretty good spot in the middle of the yard. There are a few trees going in the center of this plot, but it gets pretty sunny on one side. So sunny, in fact, that the hostas didn't like growing there. So I picked that little spot to plant some peas.
I highly doubt we will actually see any of those peas grow, because:
1) It was starting to rain and we were in a big hurry (the kids and I)
2) I didn't space them according to the directions plus they were either buried too shallow or too deep, depending.
3) (Probably more to the point...) The birds discovered them right away.
Our bichon mix dog is doing her best to keep wayward wildlife out of our back yard, but she can't chase away all the birds. (Haven't seen a single rabbit this year though.) Squirrels are also brave enough to try their luck with her, so they're probably enjoying the peas too.
Nevertheless, because it didn't rain for very long yesterday I decided this morning that if any of them happened to have a chance at growing, I should water them. So I hauled out the sprinkler for the first time today. The kids were delighted and despite it being 56 degrees out, they couldn't resist getting a few sprinkles on them.
Note the flag my 4 year old is holding. I told the Diggers Hotline people they should not even bother with flags back there, the kids think they're toys for them no matter what I say. Good thing for the spray paint they also applied liberally.
Well, if the peas fail to come up, I have a plan B. I still have a lot of peas left from the seed packet. I read today that many people sprout them under a damp paper towel for a couple of days before planting them. This apparently helps avoid the risk of them rotting in cold, damp soil. I guess it might discourage the birds too, but I'm not sure about that. Anyway, it's worth a try. It would be nice if some of them would grow, if for no other reason than putting some nitrogen in the soil back there.
