Be Water Wise–Winter Garden Ideas: Grow peas!

By Rosamond Rodman

Los Angeles gardens go through two seasons: the dry season and the wet season.  During the wet season, water conservation seems a distant memory, but you can continue to conserve water, albeit indirectly, during the winter months.  One way to do this is to improve the health of your soil during the rainy season by using nitrogen-fixing plants, like peas.  Peas are very easy and quick to grow, although they do need support (like a trellis).  In addition to providing crisp and refreshing pods, the plants themselves “fix” nitrogen in the soil. Nitrogen is one of the most important chemical elements for plants. If there is not enough nitrogen available in the soil plants look pale and their growth is stunted.

Some nitrogen-fixing plants are called legumes. Legumes (peas and beans are legumes) work together with nitrogen-fixing bacteria called rhizobia, to “fix” nitrogen.

Keep in mind, though: the plants to produce nitrogen also want to keep it for themselves, rather than altruistically help your soil. To prevent the plant from keeping the nitrogen to itself and to ensure that your soil benefits, cut them down before the point of exhaustion (when they yellow, get rangy, and don’t produce) and work them into the soil (drop and chop).  

Growing peas is one way to both take advantage of cool, wet weather, and nitrogen-fixing plants to improve your soil so that you do not have to water as much during the dry season. 

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