tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23047857.post3505292455855430514..comments2024-03-17T19:32:26.043+00:00Comments on Daughter of the Soil: My new purple pea projectsRebsie Fairholmhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17811733792196954188noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23047857.post-17614021432434951972007-10-16T23:15:00.000+01:002007-10-16T23:15:00.000+01:00I tried to enter a post before, but could not find...I tried to enter a post before, but could not find it, so maybe I did not hit publish. So, if this is duplicate, I apologize.<BR/><BR/>I really enjoyed reading about your purple pea/ alderman pea breeding project. I thought I would try that one day after become brave enough to do it. I have only been gardening for 3 years.<BR/><BR/>I would have a different reason than you, to do it though. I am in Texas, United states. spring grown peas produce only about 1 or two weeks before the heat gets them. I Fall peas made only 1 pod before frost. <BR/><BR/>My first year in gardening, I ordered 3 different types of peas. They just took forever to get here. I eventually (1 month later) got a letter stating the seed place had a fire and burned up most of their seeds. They no longer had the varieties that I ordered, so they asked if I wanted a new catalog. I said sure. I waited for it to come. After it arrived a week or two later, I did not find anything in there that interested me. They had limited selection due to the fire. So I ordered from a different catalog. Then waited some more.<BR/><BR/>For a fall crop of peas, Texas extension service said to plant September 1. But by this time, it was October 15, before the seeds got to me. First frost is about November 15th here.<BR/><BR/>I said oh well, one of the major reasons that I wanted to plant the peas was to use as a cover crop to enrich the soil and if I was lucky maybe get a few peas out of the deal. So, I planted them anyway, thinking they would grow a while and then be killed by frost, but hopefully as a bit of nitrogen to the soil. <BR/><BR/>They did not make a crop before frost, but to my surprise, they survived the frosts that we had that winter. They even made a few pods during a few warm spells in January and February, but each time those pods froze there little pods off. Even the plants looked a little frosted over, but come spring, the plants greened up, and they made peas, and lots of them. They gave me a month of peas. That is unheard of in Texas. It gets too hot too quick here. They produced peas all April. <BR/><BR/>Beginners luck I guess, since in 2006, and 2007 I tried them on the suggested dates, for both spring a fall and got 1 week of peas in spring and 1 pod in fall.<BR/><BR/>I learned to forget fall and spring, but just do what I did by accident that first year. That first year was very mild and I may not succeed again using this method, but it is worth a try. <BR/><BR/>Of the three types I planted, green arrow did great, suttens harbinger, mostly died in the fall due to heat and drought, and British wonder froze quite a bit but did make a few peas. <BR/><BR/>I thought a tall pea would better make it through the frost better, because the roots would be deeper, going below cold soil. The purple color you spoke of imparts frost tolerance in plants, so I thought if I could find a purple pea, it would do better in winter. Most of the purple peas are soup peas though. I thought if I bred a purple soup pea, and a tall wrinkled peas, then just maybe I would get a frost tolerant wrinkled pea. The other method I thought of take advantage of the fact that wrinkled peas are recessive, but do happen from time to time in round peas. So I could plant any wrinkle purple peas that I find and see if they end up sweeter.<BR/><BR/>I read that when soup peas were grown in India which is the general area that they came from, they grew them in winter. So my approach is only natural. I guess this is why they sprout better in warmer soil. <BR/><BR/>I obtained telephone peas on a trade this year, and will try growing them this winter.<BR/><BR/>The other thing that might have helped my peas survive the winter is, they grew on the ground verses on a trellis. Maybe this kept them out of the frosty air. I planted barley for the peas to grow on, but none came up. They did not seem to care. Picking them was interesting though.<BR/><BR/>Mary from Lake Dallas texasAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23047857.post-23912656458355287042007-03-26T13:17:00.000+01:002007-03-26T13:17:00.000+01:00I love hearing about your purple pod quest! I hop...I love hearing about your purple pod quest! I hope your efforts prove successful, and that I could someday plant some of your seeds in my garden! I would tag them with "Rebesie's Purple Pea"!<BR/>Beyond the good looks, and health benefits...they are also easier to pick...how many times have I picked a row of green pea pods, only to return to the row and find those I "overlooked" because they blend in.....cyndyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18006126625281714507noreply@blogger.com