March in panhandle Florida is a transitional gardening month. Both spring and winter gardens are being tended, with the winter crops soon coming to an end and the spring crops developing.
From a weather perspective, the year 2024 has been kind to vegetable gardening. The temperatures and rain have been close to seasonally average.
Most diligent gardeners in the area have been successful with a variety of tasty staples. One of those is English peas. This species has a variety of named cultivars to satisfy almost every taste, and it is relatively simple to grow.
English peas are a popular selection for north Florida gardens. Even after hot weather kills the vines, the residue will enrich the soil with nitrogen as the vines, roots and leaves decay.
The term “English Pea” is a complete misnomer because the pea arrived relatively late to the British Isles. Once it did, it served as the basis for numerous dishes to feed the gentry and the common people alike.
Historical records indicate these peas originated in the Mediterranean basin around 6500 years ago. They were likely one of the first cultivated crops at the dawn of farming and agriculture.
As with many early foods, their ease of preservation and portability were important factors for their acceptance and use. As it turned out, they were nutritious too.
Depending on the culture and the cultivar, the pea was consumed with the pod or without. As with the snow peas of today, tender and immature pea pods are certainly tasty and digestible.
Their size and shape were handy, too. No table utensils were necessary, and preparation could be as simple as pulling them out and eating them dry or raw.
The pre-industrial age traveler or soldier at a far-flung outpost need only consume a few handfuls of dried peas to sustain life. Packaging would likely be a small textile or leather pouch with drawstrings if a clay pot was too cumbersome for the situation.
The ease of cultivation was another factor in their widespread popularity. This “cool season” vegetable actually provided some of its own fertilizer, so farmers had a head start when planting.
Peas fall in the category of plants called legumes. They naturally have a nitrogen fixing bacteria called Rhizobia which converts this necessary element to a useful form for the plant through its root system.
Other commonly encountered legumes include soybeans, peanuts and clover. Each of these has the ability to utilize the available nitrogen for growth and reproduction.
Peas planted in north Florida will easily handle the moderate late winter/early spring weather typical to the area. The light frost will not damage many pea cultivars popular in the region.
Plantings usually occur in autumn or early spring for a harvest in less than 90 days.
Once the summer weather with its high humidity and temperatures set in, the pea plants die. Their remains are still useful though.
If turned into the soil, the stems, leaves and roots will release nitrogen as they degrade. Many gardeners use legumes to partially meet the nitrogen needs of the crops which follow.
With its long history of use, it is still relevant even in the 21st century.
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