sugar snap peas - observations

please only plant this one during early spring or fall - it likes cold weather. although it has produced a lot of peas and it grew very well during may and june, the sun burns its foliage very easily - making the foliage crisp up. i think the peas would also taste better.

it does a great job with fixing nitrogen in the soil though - it helps the plants around it a lot. till it under when no longer used or producing.

August 2008:
I believe I removed all of the sugar snap pea plants in early/mid July. they were growing WAY to big for the tomato cages that i set up (they grew around 5 ft, if not more!) so they started to bend and break in the occasional gusts of wind. they also succumed to a mildew. great harvest even until the end. i am currently growing them for the fall.

I picked these yesterday...

my first japanese cucumber! i thought it was rather large and ready to be picked, but after tasting it, i think it could've used a few more days on the vine. it was a little stiff. but maybe that's how it tastes...it was also really spikey - it had small spikes all over it. i was a little worried about how i was to clean it, but i just ran a scrubber (those used just to clean dishes) over it and they came off very easily. i ate it on my bologna sandwich today - yummy!

the harvest today: 3 zucchinis and 7 sugar snap peas. since i had the zucchini i harvested yesterday, i ate half of that one, most of the sugar snap peas and i picked 2 strawberries and some nasturtium leaves and made myself a salad. today was SOOOOO hot - 100 degrees - so the only thing i could get myself to eat was a salad.


the next few pictures are just "artsy" images i took of the vegetables...im just proud of growing my own vegetables. :-)

on wednesday, i had a rather big lunch, so i put together this salad for my dinner. the only thing NOT from my garden is the shredded cabbage. There's raw zucchini sticks, sliced strawberries, nasturtium flower petals and minced nasturtium leaves. next time i will use bigger pieces of the nasturtium leaves (since i hardly tasted them) and less salad dressing.


i harvested this yesterday when i got home. another light green zucchini and my first 2 sugar snap peas! unfortunately, i didn't get to try them...the honor was given to two of my foster birds - bentley and parry. it must've been good because after giving parry the pea, i rushed for the camera, came back, and she just finished eating it (well, she actually only ate the peas in the pod). bentley did take some time eating his so i got to document that (its in his blog). he actually ate the whole thing - peas and the pod.

Almonds on the tree...i can't wait to see the final product come off this tree




the grape plants are doing well.


my jalapeno is coming along nicely. it is about an inch long...




japanese cucumber - it is now constantly bloom. there are supposed to be both male and female flowers, but so far i've seen only female flowers most of the time. (like squash, the female flowers have a growth near the base of the flower which looks like a small cucumber)


japanese cucumber and some sugar snap peas.


soybean plants are getting bigger and bushier...no flowers yet, though. im wondering if it is missing something (in terms of nutrients)




watermelon growth has slowed a bit. i think its because i only water the plants about 2 - 3 times a week (we are in a drought and limited in water usage). i do what i can.


sweet potato is still hanging in there...


sugar snap peas are developing nicely. i have counted about 7 - 8 pea pods so far. more flowers showing up too.




my seedlings are coming along. next weekend i will be planting the first plantings of the blue lake bush beans.


this is my first zucchini i harvested from my zucchini jungle. it is 6 inches long and about 2 inches in diameter.


the zucchini jungle...












overview of the left side of the garden




my sweet 100 tomato plants - its a huge bush. i have been trimming some of the bottom leaves for more air circulation to avoid any diseases (mold).


the tomato fruit are growing well...


another hibiscus flower bloomed this morning


the california poppy bush. i love the foliage and the color it brings into the garden. quite a spectacular orange.


the yellow bell pepper plant - however unhappy - is actually blossoming. im hoping to see this fruit. i found out that it is unhappy because i am watering it too much. i will be cutting back more on the watering of my plants anyway (except for the watermelon).


here are the broccoli seed pods up close. they are getting really bumpy now. i have to wait till they all dry up before i pick them.


an overview of the right side of the garden...


flowers at the back of the right side (nearest to the almond tree)


a weed flower of some kind. it just started to grow here all on its own, and it has some pretty little orange flowers. i have to keep an eye on this to see if it is something that i want...it seems to spread very close to the ground


the tomato plants - looking up towards the almond tree.


another view...


the tomato plants starting from the far right (nearest to the house), moving left...

my biggest mistake in the garden is starting to bloom...super sugar snap peas. the weather this week has been really hot and i've had to cover the pea plants so that they don't get burned. they are never meant to be grown during the hottest months of the year. but i have to admit, its quite pretty! i am looking forward to growing them again in the cooler months.