From My Garden to You

August update from the garden - Black Eyed Peas are ready !! If you remember, I planted my Black Eyed Peas at the end of May. Well, they not only survived the summer but have been growing so rapidly that I am now having to cut them back just so I can get along the pathways. It's a jungle out there in my garden at the moment !!   They are now producing pods like crazy, which is fantastic. I am growing them for the dried "peas" and if you also remember, the variety I am growing is an Heirloom - Bisbee Red, bought from Native Seed Search based in Tucson. http://www.nativeseeds.org/ For how to grow Black Eyed Peas, please refer to my earlier post form June 2017.   Anyway, here are the pods in all their glory.       Note smaller green pod in background, with larger "mature" dried pod in foreground.   Harvested dried pods.     Bisbee Black Eyed Peas     Some will be saved for next year'...

Black Eyes Peas - the veggies, not the group ! My Black Eyed Peas have really started to grow like crazy the last week or so. They love the heat here ( unlike us gardeners !) and are really easy to grow. Not only that, they are good for the soil - they fix nitrogen, provide shade for other plants AND you can eat them too ! So...if you would like to know more about them - read on.   Black Eyed Peas growing in my garden - Photo taken June 27th 2017 Black Eyed Peas are also called Cow Peas. They originate from Africa and are grown in many areas around the world. Their name comes from the so-called small black 'eye' where the bean joins to the pod within the shell. Here in the Low Desert, unlike the traditional peas that are planted in the Fall, black-eyed peas are a warm season crop. They do tolerate poor soil much better than most legumes. Planting guides may say plant in March for a crop in early June, however, I have found you...