Weekend Gardener: Planting Fall Peas

Today, our resident garden expert, Laura Stone of has the following gardening tips for the weekend:

Plant a fall crop of peas. The roots of peas “fix” nitrogen into the soil for next spring planting. Remember though, when planting peas for fall, plant them almost twice as deep as spring-planted peas. This will help keep the seeds cool and also from drying out before they germinate.

Gather herbs and flowers for drying and preserving. The best time to gather herbs for drying is during the mid-morning hours, just after the dew has dried off the herbs, but before the sun causes them to wilt.  Cut the herbs in clusters with the stems attached.

Keep the moisture coming (but not too much). With the continuing hot weather don’t be tempted to get hoses out and spray everything including the ground. Surface watering only encourages plant roots to come to the surface. This will make them more vulnerable to drying out. Deliver localized water to the base of your plants.