Friday, August 7, 2009

I'm Dreading Pea Picking

When pea planting time rolled around this spring, I used some seeds I had left over from last year and also planted a different variety I had ordered for this season. I planted the peas in four rows, one row on either side of two trellises next to each other. The older seeds were used for only one of the rows on the outer side of a trellis. This variety matured in less days and they are the ones I've been picking in the last week.



Now the other peas are nearly ready for harvesting but look what I'm facing.





WHAT was I thinking when I put these two lengths of pea trellises so close together? I had more than ample planting space in the field garden this year. I could easily have spaced them farther apart. Much farther apart. How about if I use the excuse that I'm new to gardening and didn't realize how "bushy" the pea vines would get? (This is actually my 45th year of gardening but if you spread that around, I'll feel really stoopid about this pea fiasco.)



I'm facing the task of picking down the middle of this jungle to harvest our main crop which should be ready sometime early next week. How will I do it? With a bowl in one hand and a machete in the other? Granted, I honestly think the pea vines have grown thicker and busier this year than normal because of the cool weather and lots of moisture, but I still set the trellises much closer than they should have been. What happened? (Maybe I need my meds adjusted? Nooo, don't take any. Did I have a little nip before heading to the garden to measure for the trellises? Believe me, if I imbibed mid-day I'd never even make it out to the garden.) What a blunder.



I'll end this post with a picture of my first slicing cucumber this year.




No, no, I don't mean the first one I've harvested. It's the first one I've found forming. Think there's any chance we'll get edible sized ones before Jack Frost visits us?



4 comments:

Erin said...

Laughing at the 45 years of gardening and still didn't learn... I planted squash AND cukes this year in the same 4 x 8 bed and then acted surprised when they took over the garden,lol...how quickly we forget some things! I think you might be right about the peas growing better in this cool weather, they are probably loving it! If you do go at it with a machete, make sure you post a pic of that :) No sissy gardening at your house, lol

Mama Pea said...

Erin - The silly things we do! Sometimes I think I just forget to turn my brain on in the morning when I get up.

The picture of me attacking the peas with a machete is tempting. I could post it with the caption, "Gardener Loses It."

Heidi said...

If it is any consolation I planted everything too close together this year. Every trip to the garden now includes a lecture from the DH on leaving more space next year.

I will give him that 'some' of the harvesting has been a 'little tricky', but does he have to go on! :)

Its actually quite a relief to know that even people who know what they are doing make spacing mistakes! I will be sure to share this post with DH.

Mama Pea said...

Heidi - Ya know what I think it is? When we plant seeds and leave three feet between rows or set out those itty bitty plants 18" apart from each other in all directions it just seems like we're wasting so much space . . . so much good garden soil not being used. Why can't we remember everything grows so big? (Think broccoli plants when we set them out in the spring and the chest high trees they are now.)

P.S. Please don't count on me knowing what I'm doing. Too much responsibility! :o)