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More peas, please! Prepare pea beds for springtime success By Rhonda Nowak Oct 23, 2022 12:30 AM A A Peas grow in a raised bed with trellising. [Photo by Rhonda Nowak] “Knowing the president's great desire for peas, I kept him from that part of the garden where the vines grow. But they could not be concealed. Those who say that the president is not a man easily moved are knaves or fools. When he saw my pea-pods, ravaged by the birds, he burst into tears. A man of war, he knows the value of peas.” – Charles Dudley Warner, “My Summer in a Garden,” 1870 During the eighth week of Charles Dudley Warner’s summer in the garden, he was visited by Ulysses S. Grant, the 18th president of the United States (1869-1877). As it happened, President Grant was staying at the home of one of Warner’s neighbors in Hartford, Connecticut, so Warner, a respected newspaper editor, book author and public speaker, invited the president to “come down our way Sunday afternoon and take a plain, simple look at my garden.” According to Warner’s account, he and Gen. Grant spent a lovely afternoon discussing the merits, or lack thereof, of growing different kinds of vegetables. Grant was greatly impressed by Warner’s strawberries, green beans, corn and potatoes, but he expressed disdain for summer squash, calling them “the most ludicrous vegetable he knew.” Given how closely guarded our U.S. presidents are today, I am fascinated by Grant’s casual accessibility, and by Warner’s high regard for the president’s remarks. He wrote, “That corn and those potatoes which Gen. Grant looked at, I will sell for seed, at $5 an ear and $1 a potato.” (One dollar in 1870 was the equivalent of $22 today; $5 was equivalent to $110 today.) Warner said he destroyed the chair Grant sat in, rather than allow anyone else to sit in it afterward. Also, it’s likely that Warner evicted summer squash from his garden forever because he wrote that some of the president’s “remarks about my vegetables went very deep.” I had never before heard that Gen. Grant was an ardent pea lover; he is better known for having the White House landscape renovated so the First Lady could host garden parties. (Garden historian Marta McDowell’s 2016 book, “All the Presidents’ Gardens,” provides an interesting history of the White House gardens and grounds during the first 44 presidencies.) When Warner mentioned that Grant knew the value of peas because he was “a man of war,” he may have been referencing the fact that peas were a staple food for soldiers during the Civil War. I grew up eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day, a Southern tradition that harks back to the Civil War when black-eyed peas, or field peas, were considered food fit only for cattle and poultry. When Union troops raided Confederate food supplies, they left the field peas behind, but the Confederate soldiers were able to survive by eating the peas, so black-eyed peas became a symbol of good luck for Southerners. This undesirable outcome for the Union Army would have surely changed Gen. Grant’s opinion about the value of peas. The variety of peas that Warner grew and recommended to President Grant is called Pisum sativum ‘Champion of England,’ an 1840s heirloom that grows up to 10 feet tall and produces a high yield of sweet, tender pods with about seven peas in a pod. (The custom is to make a wish if there are nine or more peas in a pod.) Warner would have been pleased when ‘Champion of England’ was pronounced the “Best Pea” by the Journal of Horticulture in 1876. My own success with growing peas has been hit or miss, so I’m spending more time preparing the soil in my pea beds this fall. Timing is particularly important when planting peas, and next year I want the soil to be ready to plant peas in January/February, and then I’ll make successive plantings through April so I might have staggered harvests until July. The first step is to test my soil’s pH – peas prefer pH between 6.5 to 7.0. If needed, I can amend the soil with lime to increase alkalinity (raise the pH), or with elemental sulfur to increase soil acidity (lower the pH). Peas also need plenty of phosphorous (P) and potassium (K) in the soil to thrive, so I’ll add bone meal (Oregon State University Extension recommends 4 cups per 50-foot row) and compost. Working the amendments into the soil with a hand shovel will help to loosen the top 6 to 8 inches so the plants’ roots can grow freely. Peas and other legumes have evolved a symbiotic relationship with a soil bacterium called rhizobium, which enables legumes to “fix” nitrogen from the atmosphere. Many commercially available pea seeds have been inoculated with nitrogen-fixing rhizobium to increase germination and productivity, and to protect the plants from a common disease called pea enation mosaic virus (PEMV). Check the seed packet for PEMV and PM (powdery mildew, another common pea disease). Legume inoculants also are commercially available in liquid, powder or granules and can be applied to peas before planting. For an added boost, inoculant can be worked into the soil along with other amendments. Adding rhizobium to the soil is particularly beneficial after growing leguminous cover crops where other legumes will be subsequently planted. Besides preparing the soil this fall, I also need to make sure my pea trellises are in good shape and ready for planting. I’ve found fine netting works best to support pea vines because the delicate tendrils latch better onto thin string or wire with only an inch or two of space in between. I opt for netting made from natural materials for a more eco-friendly pea trellis, and I take the time to gently train the tendrils up the netting. Through trial and error, I have learned peas grow better when the seeds are planted about 1 1/2 inches deep in elevated rows that increase water drainage (peas resent soggy soil). Direct seeding works best; pea starts that are transplanted into the garden tend to sit for a long while in shock. An alternative is to pre-sprout seeds by soaking them overnight, laying them out on a damp paper towel and covering the seeds with clear plastic until sprouts appear. I will end by mentioning the importance of growing peas that are not only disease-resistant but also heat-tolerant against increasingly warmer springtime temperatures. I’ve had better success with Cascadia sugar snap peas and Oregon Sugar Pod II snow peas, both of which were bred at OSU. In addition, ‘Sugar Ann’ snap peas are early producers, and Charles Dudley Warner’s ‘English Champion’ and ‘Lincoln’ heirloom peas are known for their productivity in warmer weather. Here's to preparing for peas in the fall to produce more peas in the spring! Rhonda Nowak is a Rogue Valley gardener, teacher and writer. See literarygardener.com or email her at [email protected]. Winter Dreams Summer Gardens Fall is an ideal time to learn more about gardening, so new techniques and inspiration can be applied next spring. A learning experience awaits gardeners in the comfort of their homes as the Jackson County Master Gardener Association presents the 2022 Winter Dreams Summer Gardens program via Zoom. Sixteen presentations on a variety of gardening topics will be offered from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Fridays, Oct. 28 and Nov. 4, and Saturdays, Oct. 29 and Nov. 5. Cost is $30. For more information and to register, see the JCMGA website at jacksoncountymga.org