Peas Planted

Unlike most of the nation, the weather here has been exceptionally fine. I finally got the last of the veggie beds cleared of winter weeds yesterday, and in digging around in the dirt, I realized that the soil was warm and not soggy.

What the hey? Warm soil in February? Even though we had frost last night, we've had sunny days, almost 60 degree weather, and most importantly, no rain for quite a while. So the soil was dry enough and warm enough to plant. And although I'm not thinking tomatoes or even lettuce just yet, it's fine pea-planting weather.

So yesterday I scratched a 24 foot double row for the peas, scratched bone meal in the bottom of the furrows, and planted my Maestro seeds. Then I tamped it down, and an amazing thing happened - I actually put up the pea fence! I NEVER do it at planting time and I ALWAYS get it in too late and wind up damaging the poor peas, or try to rig up some other system that never works. Woo-hoo for me!

Now, lettuces can be planted quite early, and I actually have a gazillion volunteers where the lettuce was last year, so I know it's warm enough for germination. However, they're not exactly growing speedily, despite the warm weather. I think there's just not enough daylight for growth yet, which makes them susceptible to slugs right now. Maybe next week when I plant out the lettuce I started indoors, I'll try a little trial sowing of lettuce outdoors. If the weather holds.