One day as I was visiting my grandmother and she started asking questions about how my garden was doing. I told her that things were going well and that we had a bunch of things growing still. My grandma who is cute and sweet gets up out of her chair and says that she has some seeds that she was given and I can have them. “I wont be able to use them as I can’t get up long enough to plant them into the ground so you can use them,” she tells me. So she gives me four packets of seeds, corn, onions, peas, and bell peppers. She couldn’t remember when she was gifted them, but she said they should be fine.
So I planted them like two week ago. I recorded it when I planted them. We’ve gone to check on them almost everyday since we planted them because, well we’re impatient. So far we have a couple of seedlings that have decided to sprout, so they are still good. Now to only get 100% growth that is going to be awesome. The Onions are taking a bit of time to sprout and it could be that they just take a while to germinate or they are old and wont grow. We aren’t going to give up on the onions though as we eat onions quite a bit.
The peas are doing amazing at this time that I am writing this post. The onions not so much. I know that the peas are not only a good little snack but they are also beneficial to the soil that they are growing in. They can be used as cover crops and cover crops are plants that are planted to cover the soil rather than for the purpose of being harvested. Cover crops manage soil erosion, soil fertility, soil quality, water, weeds, pests, diseases, biodiversity and wildlife in an agroecosystem—an ecological system managed and shaped by humans. Cover crops may be an off-season crop planted after harvesting the cash crop. So that being said, when you are done harvesting your bulk fruits and vegetables for the season and you don’t want to have empty raised beds, grab yourself a couple bags of whatever cover crops you want and put them in the beds. Not only will they be great for that soil and help prepare them for the next round of cash crops that you will be putting in those beds, some of them are beautiful and add that extra bit of color to the cold winter months. Who doesn’t want to have some beautiful pops of color during that time right?
Now I can’t wait for the peas to get to the point to where I can harvest them and then bring a handful of the peas over to my Grandmother and see her smiling face. She is going to be super excited when she sees that her peas got the chance to grow just like she knew they would all along.
I’m excited as well, because I was really skeptical about them at first, but I like to roll the dice on things like that and to be able to use that as a learning experience. I enjoy being in my garden and planting things and then seeing their tiny little sprouts pop up out of the soil. It’s very fulfilling and I have learned so much and I’m going to continue to learn as much as I can. Next time I head to visit my grandmother I am going to record her and ask her questions about gardening and get some advice and knowledge from her. She is 85 very smart and has seen it all and done it all and will not shy away from any questions.
Thanks for hanging with me for a while, I hope that you have a great day!!
The Petersen homestead 