Of Peas & Mulch

With the mild spring weather we've been enjoying, it's the perfect time to plant peas.  Peas, of course, do best in cool weather.  The past couple of years we've had snow on the ground at this time, and by the time things defrosted and I could get them in the ground, it would be warm mid-June weather.  Oh, the peas grew, of course, but they weren't quite the same as when you can get them started now.

I suppose you need to be a pea aficionado to understand.

In any case, I planted a wide row (about 12 inches wide) of peas in scatter formation in this bed, and then parked a willow support in the middle.  I plan to poke a few more seeds into the ground around it in a week or so, so I can get a staggered harvest over a longer period.  It's a great trick when you (1) love peas and (2) have a rather small garden to work with.  After the peas are done in mid-July, I plan to remove the vines and plant something else...like Swiss Chard, my other love.

Another benefit of this mild start to the season is that it's a perfect time to spread some mulch around.  With the apple trees just starting to wake up, it's nice to give their little surface feeder roots something to enjoy.  The compost from the potatoes is still good for something (although, not potatoes again...) so I spread it around the trees in a 2-3 inch deep mulch layer, roughly outward to the dripline of the tree.  It won't keep the grass from growing all season, but it should work its way into the roots where the tree can enjoy it.