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Julia’s veggies - Peas Healthy Growing, Healthy Eating

Vegetable of the Season – Peas: The only problem with peas is they often don’t
make it to the kitchen as they get consumed on the way there! Even children will pop them in
their mouths like some kind of sweet treat. Indeed, freshly harvested peas are not only sweet
but are far more tastier than frozen or tinned versions. There are three different varieties of
peas as shown in the photographs below, namely shelling peas (only the peas are eaten), sugar
snap peas (peas are full size and the shell is also eaten) and Chinese or snow peas (peas are
very small and are eaten together with the shell). There are also dwarf and semi-dwarf varieties
suitable for smaller gardens.

Companion plants: Carrots, turnips, lettuces, beans, potatoes and radishes.
Organic Gardening Tips

• Give peas a liquid organic fertilizer rich in potassium when they start to flower to improve
pea production and quality.
• Watch out for aphids when the weather starts to warm up. They will attack peas as well as other winter
grown vegetables. Spray with a jet of water and add some dishwash liquid to the water if they persist.
• Peas are part of the legume family and thus they are able to fix nitrogen in the soil. This makes
them a great companion plant and once the harvest is over the vines and roots can be dug
into the ground where they act as a green manure, decomposing and improving the soil’s nitrogen content.
• Do not plant peas with any member of the allium family such as onions as they are not good companions.
Spring Workshops & events
Saturday 1st August – Masterclass on Organic Farming at Greenhouse Technologies, Glen Valley, 8.30am to 3pm
Saturdays, 8th&15thAugust – Introduction to Organic Gardening/Farming Workshop at Kingfisher Farm, Notwane
Saturday 22nd August –Preservation Workshop at Kingfisher Farm, Notwane
Saturday 29thAugust –Market at Sanitas, 10am to 3pm (to be confirmed)
Saturday 19thSeptember –Spring Open Farm Event in Notwane, 10am to 4pm
Email: jellyfishfarmer@yahoo.com for more details or to receive our weekly newsletter.
Also visit my Facebook Pages for more information – Kingfisher Farm, Farmer’s
Natural Produce, Farmer’s Markets, Grow & Cook with Julia.
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