Master gardener Ed Buyarski says gardeners can start planting pea varieties now, while most bean varieties should only be started when it gets hotter and the soil warms up more.
Until they establish themselves, Buyarski recommends covering snow and snap pea seedlings with plant fabric for warmth and protection.
“When they start to emerge, they swell and push up to the surface the seed and all,” Buyarski said. “Crow, ravens, and jays all tend to like those tasty little tidbits.”
Buyarski also recommends supporting the pea plants with poles, sticks, webbing or netting after they grow taller than an inch.
Gardeners can also put lettuce, cabbage, swiss chard, and cauliflower into the ground at this point in the season.
Previous Gardentalk segments from this season:
Gardentalk – Get digging
Gardentalk – Pruning and frost protection
Gardentalk – Seed starting
Archived segments from previous seasons can be found here.