10 Very Brief Random Tidbits

1. What do you think of Ben's Easter Basket this year?

2. Lucy thinks she needs to be in Ben's room most of the time now.....this time she had FOMO (Fear of missing out).

3. The Ravens absolutely destroyed the lawn at the Post Office. Or did they actually help it by thatching it?

4. I recently scored big-time at a garage sale by finding these fenceposts....102 of them!

5. Everything is planted....it's been sunshining for weeks....now I need to mulch everything with seaweed so I will be ready for opening day, which is tentatively looking like June 22.

6. I made this lap quilt for my Mom for Mother's Day and had it machine quilted by a good friend of mine. It wasn't until after I sent it to her that I happened to be looking at this photo of it and I saw the mistake.....how embarrassing.

7. One of my neighbors wanted to buy some of my flowers for his mother for Mother's Day. He wanted to pay me extra if I would pick them for him and he would come by and pick them up later. I started picking and then I picked some more, and then I grabbed a basket and then he ended up with this.....It turned out so cute!!!!

8. I have a "thing" for old license plates and have collected a small stash of them which have been hanging in the garage.


Recently I decided that it would be nice to have them out where I could see them more often, so I hung them on the beam behind my truck.

As you can see, I need more of them to cover the rest of the beam, so feel free to send me any old license plate you happen to have laying around!

9. These Tulips were amazing this year!!

10. If you disturb the dirt anywhere.....the ducks are sure to follow.

I've only seen 4 slugs so far this season. Good job, team!

The Dirt Is Flying

I'm back from a week of cooking on the boat, and the sun is out, so I'm working outside like a mad woman trying to get the rest of the garden in.

 Here's a short tutorial of how to plant Snow and Snap Peas:

I only grow Snow and Snap Peas....the ones where you eat the whole pods. Shelling Peas have too much waste. Here at the u-pick garden we're all about VOLUME!

The earliest you should plant Peas outdoors here is mid-April. But if you haven't planted yours yet it's not too late.

Peas can be planted directly outdoors. Soak the Pea seeds in water for 24 hours.

In the mean time, get your bed prepared with a fair amount of composted organic matter, but make sure the soil is not too rich with Nitrogen.

 Have your supports in place BEFORE you plant your Peas.

For best results, use an inoculant. Especially if you've never planted Peas in the area you've prepared.

Here is a quote from the internet to explain why...

What Is a Garden Soil Inoculant?

A garden soil inoculant consists of a very special bacteria calledRhizobium leguminosarum. Yeah, it’s a mouthful.

Peas are in the legumes plant family, which has a wonderful ability to be able to fixate nitrogen into the soil.

Without getting too technical, they take nitrogen that is naturally occurring in the air, and “trap” that useable nitrogen, through its root system, into the soil to use as fertilizer.

The Rhizobium leguminosarum bacteria are the guys that help facilitate this nitrogen fixing process. The bacteria get inside the legume roots, make a home there, and then create a situation where the legume roots fixate nitrogen into the soil.

The bacteria is naturally found in soil everywhere, but not in large enough numbers to make a big enough impact with the legume roots. That’s why it is important for you to add inoculant to peas and other legumes to promote better growth and production.

Anyways... drain the water off of the Pea seeds.

And sprinkle the seeds with a small amount of inoculant.

Shake the jar until all of the seeds are covered.

I use rubber gloves when I plant inoculated Pea seeds. I don't know if it's necessary, but I just feel better using them.

Plant the seeds about 1-2 inches apart about 1 inch deep.

photo courtesy of the internet- my hands aren't that dry. I use lotion.

Cover the bed immediately with row cover, or the birds will dig up all of the seeds by the next morning.

You're going to have to trust me on this one....I'm speaking from experience.

Soon your peas will be sprouting up out of the ground.

Once they are firmly established you can remove the row cover.

The Pea tunnel:

For best results, pick Snow Peas while they are still flat and tender and the peas inside them are still tiny. 

Pick Snap Peas when they are slightly plump which makes them crisp, crunchy, and juicy.

If the pods get large and tough you can snap off the stem off sideways and peel the attached strings away and blanch the pods in boiling saltwater for 1-2 minutes and they get really tender again.

Pea pods are SO delicious....

I can't wait until this summer so I can get me some!!!