August 7 Patio Peas and Tomatoes

At around 8 a.m., after I had quickly consumed my breakfast fruit smoothie, I harvested pea seed from my dried vines. We didn't eat many peas this spring even though four varieties were planted in our patio garden boxes. One "Oregon Sugar" and "Green Arrow" came up, even though the same number of seed were planted in each row. Perhaps we planted too late since peas won't germinate if it's too warm.

The heritage "Strategem" (from historic Stewart Farm) and "Darlaine" soup pea (from Saltspring Seeds) did the best, although I noticed a few oddities. The Strategem had a tall (much more prolific) and a short version. The seed from the two versions also look different in shape and size. I don't have any of the original seed otherwise I would compare the originals with my results. 

The Darlaine pea also had a tall and short variety. All of the tall variety were golden brown, while most of the short variety were green instead of brown. Did we mistakenly plant some other pea in this row?  I pulled out the original packet from Saltspring Seeds and their seed is dark brown. Now, this is a mystery!

Peas are not supposed to cross-pollinate. They are self-fertile. The bumblebees were obviously very busy this spring, giving me a new variety. Since I want to "breed" a variety that does well on my patio (it's warmer by at least 10 degrees than ground level), is prolific and tasty, my plant experiment continues. In early September I will fill one planter box with the new versions of Strategem and a second with Darlaine and see what I get this fall. Do they breed true? Are they prolific? How do they taste? How well do they grow on my patio with this climate change weather? These are all questions I will find out. I highly recommend "Breed Your Own Vegetable Varieties" by Carol Deppe if you want to learn more on this subject. (See my next blog post about the seed saving collective library.)

All of my tomato plants (some started from seed March 7) are huge and I have seen my first red tomato from "Victoria" (from Saltspring Seeds). It looks perfect and should be ready to pick soon if the weather remains sunny and warm. One tomato from "Ardwyna Paste" has been removed as the bottom rotted. It was planted in a planter box that received rain. Many of my tomato plants are in self-wicking black plastic Ikea pots and are protected from the scorching heat and surplus rain by our summer canopy. Even with the protection, they still droop in the heat of the day. If they are still droopy the next morning, I will water then and only with warm water. I have heard that cold water shocks their system and most tomato problems stem from over-watering, low temperatures or wet weather.

Gardening is such an enjoyable past-time and there is always something new to learn. Enjoy.