Pea seeds, ripening tomatoes and nitrogen

Can I save some of my peas to plant next year, or do I have to buy seeds?

There are only complicated answers to your question, not a simple yes or no. Here is a list of things to factor in:

Although peas are among the easier seeds to save because the flowers can pollinate themselves, be sure that your peas are open-pollinated. The seed packet will tell you, or it will describe them as an heirloom variety. That means the same thing.

If your peas-or any vegetables in your garden-are hybrids, do not save the seeds. Those seeds will be like some distant ancestor, not like your current garden crop. Hybrid seeds come from a new cross every year and the process is complicated enough that most gardeners do not want to attempt it.

You do not want to save peas if you grow more than one variety. Even though the flowers can pollinate themselves, their pollen is available to every passing bee. The seeds that result from bee visits will be an unintentional mixture, not a good variety.

If everything checks out and you want to save your seeds, choose only the best plants to save. Weak or small plants produce inferior seeds. Let the peas ripen on the plant until the pods are dry and brown. When you shake a pod you will be able to hear the peas rattling inside. When the pods are at that stage (which may be a month after the peas were edible), they are ready to pick and dry indoors. After a further two weeks indoors, the peas will be dry enough to be shelled. Store them in a dry and cool place until spring. A refrigerator or freezer is excellent for storage.

To be sure that pea seeds do not get damp enough to mold, you can add a packet of silica gel or powdered milk to the container. Either will absorb moisture from the air. Following these steps will guarantee that most of your saved seeds germinate and that next year's peas will be as good as this year's.

How can I ripen tomatoes that are still green when I have to pick them?

Hurry the ripening process by picking every tomato as soon as it loses its green spots. Pick tomatoes when they are still yellow or pink. After they have finished turning red, their flavor will be the same as vine-ripened tomatoes. If you find that hard to believe, so did the scientists who experimented and found it true. Furthermore, as soon as a tomato is picked, the plant can start ripening the next green tomato; more tomatoes will ripen before frost cuts down the plant. Do not cut off any green leaves; they produce the chemicals which ripen the tomatoes.

When tomatoes must be picked green, store them at 50 degrees or warmer, and in a fairly dark place. While green, tomatoes can be piled in a box. Once they begin to change color, they should be spread in a single layer, so that the bottom tomatoes are not bruised by the weight of the ones above. They need not be wrapped. Check the stored tomatoes twice a week to remove ripe ones and any that are beginning to rot.

Most of the tomatoes which are picked green will ripen with more flavor than commercial varieties from a store. If tomatoes have developed enough to have a shiny skin, they will ripen, although slowly. Store green tomatoes as if they had been picked partly ripe. Never ripen a tomato on a windowsill.

Should I add nitrogen fertilizer at this time of year, to either the lawn or the garden?

I would not. Nitrogen does not hang around for long. Some moves quickly through the soil and into the nearest stream; the rest vanishes into the air. None will be available to the plants which grow next year. Nitrogen is best added in the spring, when plants start their annual growth spurt. Fall is a great time for adding compost or manure, which are long-term investments.

Hackett welcomes reader questions related to gardening, pest management, plants, soils and anything in between. Submit questions to mhackett@centric.net, call 406-961-4614 or mail questions to 1384 Meridian Road, Victor, MT 59875.