Northern California peas in winter

Here in Northern California we can get one last run of peas to start for a winter harvest. You can plant peas starting in August and all the way up through mid-November.

Peas are a great winter vegetable for many reasons.

1. Peas give you vegetables in the winter because they like it cool.
2. Peas at nitrogen to the soil because they are a legume. Legumes take nitrogen from the air and store it in nodules on the roots. When peas are finished, it is best to turn the whole plant into the soil and compost in place. Once the soil has rested, plant a nitrogen lover in the same spot next spring.
3. If you don't use hybrids, you can save the seeds and plant them next year and keep the cycle going. Saving seeds helps because the plants adjust to your climate and soil and can produce extra hardy plants over time.

Get to know your cool weather crops and plant them in early spring and/or fall. Even if you don't like peas, the plants are great for your soil. Use Plangarden.com and the online software to help in your planning stages. Planting peas right after or right before planting a nitrogen hog like corn helps keep your vegetable garden in top shape and will require less fertilizers of ANY kind.