Can I Plant Snap Peas From Seed?

Q. I have a small raised garden with good dirt. Can I plant snap peas, if so  when?  I bought a bag at the grocery store. I love them raw and opened  about 20 pods the peas. They were very small. Can I plant them and how deep? Do they grow in a bush or on a pole As you can tell I have  never  grown  any before.

A. No, I would not plant these peas. They are immature and will not grow but only rot. When seeds are collected from plants, the plant parts where the seeds are located must be mature. We harvest peas and beans in an immature stage. This is because they are tender at this stage.

Snow peas harvested at the immature stage for export to Europe by small-scale commercial farmers in Kenya.

There are vegetables such as tomatoes that we harvest fully mature and we can save seed from these fruits.

In the case of peas and beans, we would wait until the pods have fully matured and no longer tender if we want to save seeds for planting. At this stage the seeds have become hard. We see this stage in beans and peas in the store when we buy them bulk or plastic bags. We will buy kidney beans, navy beans, pinto beans and sometimes peas this way. They have been dried so they do not mold or rot but they are fully alive, just sleeping and waiting for moisture and warm temperatures to germinate.

Snow peas under commercial production by small-scale farmers in Kenya

The only way to eat  beans when they are fully mature would be to soak and cook or boil them. Could you do this? Of course you could but conventionally we eat green beans and sugar snap peas when they are tender and immature. 

Snow peas at the perfect edible immature stage of development

Most commercial types of snap peas or sugar snaps are bush types since they are easier to harvest.  Purchase snap pea seeds for planting and harvest them when they are immature for fresh eating and allow some of them to remain on the plant for drying and proceed the next year. However, there can be problems when you save seed from varieties that are F1 hybrids. Unless you are willing to read up and study on how to save seed I would recommend buying the seed from a reliable source..

Brown Scarring on Cactus Due to Surface Damage

Damage to cow's tongue, Opuntia

Cochineal scale on cows tongue

Q. Not sure what happened to my plant I sent you a picture of this plant the other day and the next day I see these spots. All I did was remove a chicken wire fence from around the plant.

A. I would not be overly concerned about it from a plant health perspective. Yes, it does distract from its aesthetics. This type of injury can because by something damaging the surface of the pads at those locations.
 

A frequent problem can be cochineal scale which appears like wet cotton on the surface of the pads in groupings. Once the scale is removed either with a high pressure sweep nozzle on a hose or chemicals the damage can still remain from their feeding. But anything that damages the "skin" of the pad will cause this type of scarring.

Make sure that you are not irrigating this type of cactus too often or they can develop root rot and die. 

Also, if you are using drip emitters and they are all located very close to the plant and there are no other sources of water than the roots may develop only in this tiny location and when it gets tall it can fall over because of its own weight, it's top-heavy. So hopefully there are other sources of water within a foot or two of this plant so the roots will spread out and hold the plant upright.

Control Pillbugs/Sowbugs With a Variety of Methods

Pillbug, sowbug, rolly polly. Thanks Texas A and M for this pic.

Q. I took your advice and am treating pillbugs in my garden like slugs. I have drowned them with beer but they keep coming back. But, they keep coming. I have two bowls with  about 100+ critters in each every morning. My neighbor has been giving me his old cans of beer. I had to dig up the rhubarb plants and put them in pots. This is sure a frustrating year.  Hope you are having more luck

.

Dirt Devil cordless vacuum. Mine is an older Model.

A. I am sorry to hear you're having such a problem with these critters. Maybe I can add my two cents. These critters are crustaceans, in the same classification as lobsters and crayfish. They have gills and so must have a wet environment to stay alive.

Anything in the garden that keeps moisture on the surface of the soil and around plants is going to encourage them. Likewise, they will want to hide during the daytime underthings that collect moisture such as mulches, newspaper late on the soil surface, boards on the soil surface, etc. sometimes just laying these items on the soil surface and removing them during the day followed by some light vacuuming with a cordless vacuum can provide some control.


I use the Dirt Devil cordless vaccuum. I don't know if it is the best one out there but it works. Maybe some others have a better one if they can comment. Mine was fairly inexpensive and when you are trying things out for a first time price becomes important. I have used it now for four years.

As far as chemicals are concerned, I see diatomaceous earth recommend a lot. The problem with this is it cannot handle wet environments. And these critters cannot handle dry environments so they are kind of mutually exclusive
of each other.

As far as pesticides go the natural products containing pyrethrum is supposed to work.

Heavier duty insecticides such as the synthetic pyrethrins which end in -thrin in the ingredients should also work. I saw a report that the insecticide Sevin (carbaryl) will also work. I hope this gives you some other options.

Take Down is Monterey's synthetic pyrethrin.

Spraying When Prahing Mantids Are Active

Praying mantis or mantid

Q. I’m starting to see stinkbugs or squash bugs on a few squash leaves as well as the eggs on the undersides of the leaves. I know how fast those hungry buggers can suck the life out of cukes, squash, melons or whatever sounds good to them. This year I bought some praying mantis eggs/nest.  It’s impossible to see when they hatch and leave home so I just thought they died.  Imagine my surprise
to now be finding baby mantis’s in my front and back yard....on the very same plants the squash bugs are hitting.

So here’s my question.  To spray for the bugs or hope the praying mantis’ will feast on the squash bug buffet? 

Squash bugs a close relative of stinkbugs
and leaf footed plant bug.

A. That's a really good question and it is one of the major difficulties we face when we try to manage our garden and fruit trees organically or as organically as possible. You have introduced an insect predator into your garden to help keep some of the "bad bugs" under control rather than to use pesticides. It is one of the cornerstones of integrated pest management or IPM. 

We should also be realistic about what praying mantis can and cannot do. They are not focusing on "bad guys" to help you, they are just looking for a meal. Their meals include "good bugs" and "bad bugs".

Bt insecticide

Using beneficial insects like mantids works great with some pesticides approved for organic production and it does not work well in combination with others. For instance, if we use a pesticide permitted in organic production that targets a certain pest while not harming others it can work fine. 

An example is using Bt that kills only the larva or worms of moths and butterflies but we want to protect the praying mantis. It is totally safe for the praying mantis since it targets only the worms or larva of moths and butterflies. However, if we are realistic, it also kills the larva of butterflies which are not plant pests for our gardens.

However, if we use insecticidal soap, which is also recommended in organic production, and apply it to our vegetables or fruit trees, we are applying it is an "indiscriminate killer"; it will kill any insect on contact, squash bugs, leaf footed plant bugs, aphids, honeybees as well as praying mantis. 

When we choose to use an "indiscriminate killers" but want to keep beneficials, like praying mantis, from getting harmed, then we must direct the spray on the insects we want to kill and avoid spraying the ones we do not want to harm. 

One of the insecticidal soaps

This requires a lot of plant inspection on your part; looking for, identifying and targeting the "bad bugs" with the spray. Focusing on the use of beneficial insects as your primary method of controlling "bad bugs" limits your ability to use pesticides. You must either not use pesticides or select pesticides which will not harm the beneficial insects or direct any pesticide sprays so that they come in contact only with "bad bugs".

Another approach is to use these indiscriminate killers, such as insecticidal soaps, to keep bad insects under control and realize you will have "collateral damage". The "collateral damage" which occurs is the killing of good bugs and bad bugs with the hope that the good bugs will recover after the spraying is over. You also select "organic" pesticides that do as little damage to the general insect population as possible. This type of spray program limits the use of beneficial insects for any long-term control. It is really a "spray and pray" program.

Enjoy your praying mantids. They will migrate to other parts of your landscape as well as your neighbors. Visit and inspect your garden and fruit trees often. Use plants sprays when "bad bugs" are getting out of control and target your sprays on these "bad bugs".

Grow Leeks Pretty Much Like Onions With a Couple of Exceptions

Q. About 1 1/2 years ago, I planted a package of leek seeds.  They grew, but not very fast.  This spring, I had more leeks than I knew what to do with.  Went on vacation, and came back to leeks that are going to seed, and look more like garlic than leeks.  They seem to have lots of "sets" at the base of the plants. Are they still good to eat?  Can I pull them up and use the sets in the fall to plant more leeks?  It's been an interesting ride.

Leeks sold on the streets of Kosovo. 

A. We grow and harvest vegetables at their peak of perfection for eating. Vegetables can be harvested at any time but usually there is a preferred time when they are best for cooking and eating.So, yes there is nothing wrong with eating them at this stage of their development but they are certainly far from prime. I would collect the sets that you are seeing and re-plant and harvest them earlier.

Leeks are grown from seed almost the same way as onions from seed. Plant leek seeds in mid to late fall, usually about mid-October or early November in our southern climate.

Transplant seedlings to a new location in the spring about the first week of March. When planting from seeds in the fall plant the seeds 1 inch apart and about 1/2 inch deep. I usually am not the precise but broadcast the seed in a small area and cover the seeds with a shallow layer of soil. If I don't want to use garden space, I will plant them this way in a container.You will overwinter them in the garden in a dense planting.

In the spring, about mid-February to early March when they are at least 6 inches tall, dig them up carefully with a trowel or garden spade so they are not damaged and separate them. Replant them in rows or blocks about 4 to 6 inches apart. If your soil easily drains you can plant them fairly deep, maybe 4 inches or more if they are larger. Onions need to be planted the same depth as they were growing as seedlings. Leeks can be planted much deeper, deep enough so that only the growing tips are above ground. If you plant them deep you may not need to blanch them. Leeks can be fairly large so put the rows about 18 inches apart and further apart if you are growing them for monster size.

When they have put on some significant growth after transplanting you can blanch the base of the plant (turn them white) by not letting sunlight reach the bases. Some people pile dirt around them while others cover the leeks with cardboard that prevents light from reaching the bases. Blanching is more for aesthetic and traditional appeal. The blanched portion is more mild in flavor.

Fertilize them once a month during their growth period. They are shallow rooted so they will enjoy a surface mulch and frequent watering.

Leeks are biennials. This means they will bulb up the first season and, if left in the ground, will send up a flower stalk the second season and produce seed. To do this they need two “winters” or cold period. It sounds like they went through two cold periods and sent up a flower stalk and went to seed.