Early harvest of English peas?

Early spring harvest of Alaska green peas

A cool weather, care free spring vegetable is the Alaska green June pea, better known as the English garden pea. A row or two of these or a couple of beds will produce a bountiful mid-spring harvest in about 60 to 70 days and not interfere with any warm weather vegetable crops. Green peas require no special care and unlike other vegetables, they add nitrogen to the soil rather than subtracting from the soil and in fact, it actually adds nitrogen to the soil and thrives in the cool soil of early spring and has very few insect enemies. Their mint-green foliage adds beautiful greenery to the garden plot in early spring. They produce all their harvest in a period of about two-and-a-half weeks. You can choose from the varieties of Alaska, Green Arrow, Wando and Lincoln. Sow the peas in a furrow about three inches deep and sprinkle seed in the furrow that has been covered with a layer of peat moss. After sowing the seed, cover them with another layer of peat moss. Hill up soil on both sides of the furrow and tamp down the soil with a hoe blade for solid contact with soil. A pound of seed will sow a 50-foot row.

Blowing out like a lion or a lamb

March is an interesting month and it can bring us some remnants of winter even though spring has been with us for a few days already. Even with only a few days remaining in the month, a trace of snow can still be blown in on the windy wings of March wind. We also know there can be plenty of frosty nights during the month. Most cool weather vegetables will remain safe under the soil and will be protected. We may see some ice in the mud holes but not much in the way of ground freezes.

Croaks sounding off from down at the creek

The sounds of frogs croaking and making sounds of spring down by the creek bank as the sunsets begin each evening. Their sounds announce to us that the days of spring are what is making their voices share their joy and excitement. All up and down the creek bank, they sound off in harmonious chorus the songs of early spring evenings. They sing because the creek has thawed and they know the days will soon be warming up and it will soon be tadpole time for the frogs.

Dogwood buds a sign they will soon bloom

The limbs of the dogwoods now have plenty of tiny buds and points to an abundant year of beautiful white flowers by the second week of May. The tiny bud tips are there in mid-winter but not very visible because they are so tiny. As the early days of April arrive, the buds will enlarge and produce trees filled with white and pink flowers.

Making a bacon-tuna custard pie

This is a great pie for a cool night in the late days of March. It is a very unusual and simple pie that is easy to prepare. You will need one pound of bacon, one medium onion, eight ounce package finely shredded sharp cheddar cheese, one nine- inch pie shell, one seven ounce can of tuna (drained), three egg’s slightly beaten, one can evaporated milk, half teaspoon salt, and one tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning. Fry bacon until crispy, drain and cube or crumble, (save the bacon drippings). Fry the cubed onion in the bacon drippings. Place the finely grated sharp cheddar cheese in bottom of the pie shell; top with the crumbled bacon and fried onion. Add the tuna on top. Mix eggs with the evaporated milk, two table spoons corn starch and one tablespoon Old Bay seasoning, half teaspoon black pepper. Mix well and pour over the tuna mixture. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and bake for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 335 degrees and bake for 30 minutes or longer until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Sprinkle a few pieces of crumbled bacon on top of the pie.

The sweet fragrance of Carolina Jasmine

Nothing motivates the honey bees and bumble bees of the early days of spring like the sweet essence of the golden trumpet blooms of Carolina Jasmine on the edge of the garden. They rival only the wild honey suckle in their unique sweet aroma of very early spring. Surely the bees after a long winter in the hive or hollow really enjoy the sweet nectar of this early spring delicacy. Carolina jasmines can be purchased at nurseries and garden centers. They feature blooms in early spring and several times all during the seasons. Birds also love to build nests in their thick evergreen foliage. They can be trimmed and shaped all during the year.

Irish potatoes should be planted soon

March is coming to an end and the deadline for setting out seed of potatoes is approaching. Irish potatoes require a long growing season of more than 90 days. They should be sown by early in the month of April to assure a harvest by the beginning of Dog Days in early July. You can choose from Yukon Gold, Red Pontiac, Kennebec or Irish Cobbler. Apply a layer of peat moss in the bottom of the furrow and place whole seed potatoes on top of the peat moss in the furrow about a foot and a half apart. Cover the seed potatoes with another layer of peat moss and then apply a layer of Plant-Tone organic vegetable food before hilling up soil on each side of the furrow and tamping down soil on top of the row for solid contact. Remember to use whole seed potatoes and don’t cut them because cut seed potatoes will cause mold, mildew and rot as well as attract rodents and groundhogs.

Keeping peat moss handy in early spring

As we move on into spring and the sowing of cool weather vegetables, keep a 3.5 cubic foot bale of peat moss handy and apply it to furrows when setting out plants or planting seed. Peat moss will improve the texture of the soil and aid in moisture-retention. It is a totally organic product that improves every plant, vegetable or flower that it touches. It can be applied directly to the furrow before and after planting seed. A bale costs around $13. Peat moss can also be mixed into soil or used when planting rose bushes. It really is a shot in the arm for all the vegetables, flowers, and cool weather crops.

Preparing the rosebushes for spring

The roses have came through the winter. They can now be prepared for a season of new life and beauty during those first few days of spring. Pull off all spent rose hips and prune back all long canes. Remove all leaf mulch from around the roses. Stir the soil and add some peat moss and a layer of Rose-Tone organic rose food and mix it in the soil. Remove all dead growth. Apply water, but don’t soak the rose bushes. As we move close to April, rose bushes will appear at hardware nurseries and garden centers. Don’t purchase roses in plastic bags packed with sawdust. Consider only roses that are in peat moss or plastic containers with potting medium that have been well-cared for and watered. They should have plenty of green in their stems. The Knock Out roses are the very best and come in the trademark mint green containers. They feature colors of red, pink, white, and yellow. They don’t have very long canes and look alive through most of winter.

Hoe hoe hoedown

“Dog Tales.” Will: “My dog does not have a tail.” Bill: “How do you know when he is happy?” Will: “He stops biting me!”

“Missing a part.” The pastor preached a sermon on the seven deadly sins. The congregation kept calling him up to get the list to see if they had missed any of them!

“Tripping through the snow.” During a huge snow a preacher fell on the sidewalk. A little girl came along and asked if she could help him. “You’re too little,” the pastor said. The little girl said “I’ve helped my daddy up many times when he was drunker than you are.”