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Our first harvest (aside from lettuce) has been peas. We loved the shelling peas last year and realized our mistake was not planting enough. So this year we planted more and will likely plant more than that next year. I love them and especially in the cold months of winter. I honestly never knew that there was much difference in a store bought frozen pea and one I grew and froze. Big difference, try it for yourself, you will see what I mean.
We picked for 30 minutes or so and this was our bounty. Not too bad for a first batch. We shelled them all while listening to the television and then blanched and froze them in Foodsaver bags. They are so sweet and hard to stop eating while you shell. This year we grew Maestro, which we knew from last season was a winner. But in the spirit of trying new things we also added Green Arrow, which we have yet to harvest.
Maestro promises long pods filled with plump peas (as many as eleven) with a sweet and tender taste and I must say they deliver as promised. I love them. I am anxious to try the Green Arrow variety. Peas are a great crop for any garden but they are great in raised beds as they add nitrogen to the soil and raised beds are easily depleted of their nutrients. One must rotate the crop for the next season as they leave nitrogen in their place but use up some other valuable things.
The raised bed garden has been floating in a sea of wood chips as the ark we built to get out of the rain wasn't finished yet. Just kidding. It has been raining a lot here which is great when it comes in spurts so I can go mow the lawn every couple of days. But not as great when it just won't quit. I wish mother nature could spread it out a little.
Everything is growing well and I am excited that the beets are responding. I had to replant the chard and also added some cilantro to that bed. We love cilantro in salads and in marinade all summer long, so I plant in succession as it is quick to grow and be done. Note to self: never allow it to go to seed near the strawberries. Lesson learned.
I love your raised beds! WOW! So much nutritious food you are growing. And Yes, I wish the rain could be shared. We don't see much of it in this area.
ReplyDeleteMichelle
Your raised bed garden is looking healthy and lush. Yes, the rain has really been something, hasn't it? Yesterday it poured, then hailed, then poured and hailed again. The hail has done some damage to the vegetable leaves, especially the cukes and squash.
ReplyDeleteWe've had radishes, snap peas, kale and chard from the garden, as well as tons of succession planted lettuce. Nothing beats homegrown!! Now I am looking forward to that first tomato. :-)
your beds are awesome! what size lumber did you use, if i may ask? we are getting ready to do 4 of them, or more if we have the space and i'm doing all my research now..;) i want them finished by august at the latest so we can start layering and get our topsoil in....:)
ReplyDeletei am very jealous of all your rain...we haven't had a drop in weeks and are at 102 today..yikes!
Heather, since you mentioned the ark, I'd like to be on it and munch on your veggies!
ReplyDeleteThe peas look so good! Your raised beds look so full and pretty, I love seeing full vegetable garden. Just as pretty as flowers I think :)
ReplyDeleteHeather, have you had trouble getting on Blotanical today??? I can't get on and even on your page, I can't view the thumbnail where it usually is???Janet
ReplyDeleteYour peas look delicious and all your raised beds are so full and healthy looking. How do you preserve/cook/prepare the beets?
ReplyDeleteSo, weird...couldn't get on all day, then around 9:00, tried again and I could. It kept saying that Blotanical was not set up to establish a connection with my computer...even though I was just on last night! Go figure!
ReplyDeleteYour garden is looking great, so lush!
The beds look lovely. I can't imagine having nice rain like that any more. We're all irrigation all summer.
ReplyDeleteThe peas look great. I have a note in my garden journal that says, "Peas: plant more." 'Nuff said.
I've heard that peas are nitrogen fixers as well, but is that true if you pull the plants rather than cutting them down or tilling them in? I do pull mine, and wonder if I'm losing the benefit.
ReplyDeleteYour garden is gorgeous Heather, very FULL. I'm jealous! I would love to be able to grow my own veggies.
ReplyDeleteLooking good at least yours weren't eaten by the dog like ours.
ReplyDeleteYour raised bed area is perfection!
ReplyDeleteyum! those peas look so tasty. i wish we still had some. we never have enough to try freezing. we need to up our planting too.
ReplyDeleteThe raised bed is awesome and the peas looks wonderful. Wish I can grow this in my garden. I tired this twice but was not successful.
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks fantastic! Great harvest on the peas. Mine are barely a foot tall. Wondering if we'll get any at all. I can't wait for my beets to come in either!
ReplyDeleteI just had breakfast, but now I feel the onset of hunger pangs that only some fresh peas will cure. I was trying to tell from your pictures how you stake your peas. Just posts and strings? I do a horrible job staking peas and need to steal someone's better idea.
ReplyDeleteOMG, I can't get over the fullness of those raised beds, Heather! The amount of peas I grow provide a harvest for one meal every other week!! You have tons...enjoy them!
ReplyDeleteWow, what a wonderful crop!!! Enjoy eating it!
ReplyDeleteYour garden looks great Heather! And those beans look very yummy too. Cilantro IS very persistent isn't it? I found one had self seeded in my old veggie bed this year, which really shouldn't happen in our climate! It's great news though, as this year's planting is all about finding out which seeds are going to be easy to grow like that, and I've now found the first one for the list. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em :)
ReplyDeleteYou've reaped so many good things, from all of your hard work, Heather! You've been a busy gardener, and farmer! I am always in awe of you guys--even though it's very hard work, it seems like a 'richer' life in many ways--so connected to the soil, and raising the animals, etc. Keep on truckin' girl!! You're doing a terrific job!! Jan
ReplyDeleteHi Heather, I haven't been here for a while (wonder why??) You harvest looks great!! Think planting more peas will be great for having them more often over the winter. yummmm!
ReplyDeleteHi Heather! Your bounty looks awesome! The raised beds are all doing so well. We picked our first harvest (besides lettuce) yesterday too. It was peas as well. Much less than you have, but it was a nice little batch. How many pea plants do you have in that bed? -Jackie
ReplyDeleteOh, I am jealous, we havent even got a pea blossom yet! Picking loads of lettuce, spinach and chard but by far our greatest harvest has been slugs! Buckets of hand picked fresh slugs. So nasty even the chickens wont eat them. Do your raised beds keep the slugs out?Incredible amounts of rain and drizzle thru june here in NB Canada.
ReplyDeleteOh, your peas look delightful. Ours are just on the brink of being ready. So excited! I'm impressed that you are able to put enough aside to freeze; they are like candy to us.
ReplyDeleteYour raised beds are just so beautiful. Even with wood chips, the weeds crowd ours.