UPSTATE GEECHIE
Spring brings Peas
Today I will plant peas, not just any peas tho. As an UpState Geechie grower, spring brings rapture, soil nirvana.
Climate change is real. It is real. The old meme taught to us by the sagacious was clear, plant peas on April 1st. It was not only a generational morsel; it was a climatology observation. I am writing this article on March the nineteenth, 2022. This is the third year straight where mid-March planting is realistic. Today I will plant peas.
Today I will plant peas. Black-eyed peas, actually, beans, and a decent group for a few years. Pigeon peas are delicious.
I live in Golden Glow but I grew up in Lowman, NY. The soils are similar. My original garden was massive and needy. When the kids were young we sold at the Farmer’s Market on Water Street next to the Holiday Inn. The tent across from Dewittsburgh means fresh produce. Those were incredible days. My dad and uncles would come sit and my aunts would negotiate okra prices. I never sold peas.
When I was young my Grandma Foster (mom’s mom) grew peas religiously. Once she could no longer handle the toil she bought peas. We would buy from Turks, roadside, Bradley Farms.
Shucking peas is a grind. The husks piled up and your fingers got raw. The peas were chalky to taste raw. We would blanch and then freeze them. hey appeared in tuna noodle casserole, soups and salads. We thawed them and ate them in salads.
I am planting peas today. Shucking peas is cool but not my interest. Sugar peas, snap peas, candy peas are my spring ritual. I have a few cultivars that I gravitate toward. My current garden is small and space is expensive. Metaphor. Peas mature within 40 days and can be pulled by mid-June. That space will then occupy some melons or pumpkins. I have four raised beds each 15’x3’. It is a modest plot compared to my 40-year-old self. Peas shoots are delicious and so SoCal. I will be eating those by mid-April.
The planet is warming.
Planting peas today. So my go-to is a mysterious nitrogen generator from the West Coast. Cascadia peas are resilient and hardy. They hold their crispness beyond ideal maturity. Many snap peas get stringy fast. If you do not pick them within a 2-3-day window, they do not taste good.
My seed company is Pinetree out of Maine. Their prices have remained honest throughout the Covid/inflation now. Cascadia is an addictive pod. They are the essence of snap peas. Every year they break my winter and announce my spring. Spring now comes earlier every year. It is a welcomed, regretful reality.
Stay tuned. I’ll post pics once they break through the soil.
About the Author
Sky Moss is an Associate Professor at Corning Community College. From gardening to music to clothing to politics, and sports. Ask Sky and he will give you his opinion. Sky is multifaceted and his column will make you think.