It’s late May and the temperatures have been unseasonably warm in Philadelphia for this time of year. There’s also been a lot of rain. In the rooftop garden that’s meant the snow peas came in a little earlier this year than last, and the plants offered up a lot of peas.
But over the past few days I’ve been finding fewer pods to pick… and when I glance at the bottom leaves of the plants, I think I can see why. The hot weather is getting to the green guys… and turning them brown.
I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to continue picking at least a few snow peas each day for the next few weeks, but these plants’ days are numbered.
Fortunately I’m not putting all my legumes in one basket.
Last week I dropped a few beans into the planters that are currently home to the snow peas, and yesterday they started to pop their heads through the soil.
When I tried growing green beans in the garden last summer I didn’t end up getting a very large yield — but last summer was extraordinarily hot and dry. I’m hoping to do better this year.
Anyway, my goal is to let these guys grow up among the dying peas and cut away the pea plants as needed to make room for beans as they start to get big.
I’ll also be putting the pepper and tomato plants that have been growing in my windowsill outside soon. They’re not as large as I’d like them to be yet, but I don’t want to wait too long to get them into larger planters and more direct sunlight.
Today I started hardening them off by putting the peppers and tomatoes up on the rooftop in the hot sun for about an hour. When I brought them back inside their leaves had wilted a bit from the sun and wind, but a little water and time back in the windowsill was all it took for everyone to perk up again.
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