forgot to say my peas are 3-4" apart

Garden Valley?

I think you might be closer to a zone 5.

I don't have much luck with peas despite the fact that they are 'easy' to grow. I know I should think my crops, but I never do. I just try to fertilize the hell out of the crowded crops. My strawberries are a jungle. My corn is going to be a thicket. My potatoes formed hedges.

You have about 3 times as many crops as I have. Congratulations.

I'm no expert, but I think you want to get the winter crops going at the end of August. September can be nice but when it changes, it goes quickly. You've picked the right crops for a fall/winter harvest.

Thanks for your reply! Yup...GV.
I found out just today that I have a gold mine on this property. Tons of things to compost...I am excited to use it. Even 3 foot tall weeds wrapped in a "1/4 pounder" of aged horse manure. I started a new lasagna style compost pile tonight. The neighbors gave me 2 fresh straw bales and 2 moldy ones so I am using that to layer my compost pile and for mulch. We have lots of room to add on to the garden b/c we just got rid of our horses. Organic field of compost just waiting to be "MOVED" (ugh...sigh...tired...aching back...blessed!). We have wild black caps along the house and boy do they make the best berry pie!!! mmm!!! I would like to start strawberries next year and asparagus(dh loves it, not me). I think I will leave the peas and beans then for this year unless one looks really bad. Whats a good fertilizer? I have aged manure and one with nitrogen/phosphate/potash and I know nothing about fertilizer or how much to use. Thanks!!!

I'd agree, Garden Valley is more likely zone 5. How long have you lived there? Have you recorded the low temps during the winter? Here in Boise it has not been below zero for over 10 years, which would put us in zone 7, but there is a history of below zero temps, so zone 6 is a safer guideline.

My peas and beans always grow pretty well - I do not fertilize them at all since they are legumes and fix their own nitrogen from the air. They don't do well with too much nitrogen in the soil. The problem I have with peas is that once summer arrives (any day now) it gets too hot and the peas get starchy and the plants die. They can't take the heat in Boise, but you may have better luck in GV.

For everything else, I use an organic fertilizer from Zamzows called nutri-rich (a 4-3-3 +calcium fertilizer) in the spring when I till the beds. After that I don't fertilize much at all, just use mulch and compost and the occasional shot of Zamzows Thrive (Organic 5-5-3 fertilizer). The exceptions are my blueberries and azaleas, which get MirAcid.

Thanks for the info! Our temps here are usually cooler a.m.s and p.m.s. Nights 10-20 degrees cooler. Lived here for 8 yrs but only got below 0 a couple of times that I can remember. Day high temps are usually the exact same as Boise in the summer time.
I lived in Caldwell forever and remember in the late 80's it was -25 once in winter.
My peas are in the shade of a chain link fence(attaching this last week...yay) and the cooler eves and mornings should help.
I read that about the nitrogen in the air. I read all I could in April and May...next year should be easier. I may just happen to have the green thumb my grandpa had, I hope!
Our soil is pretty good but I haven't tested it yet, maybe next year. I didn't have any compost to add when I first planted but I did add a little aged horse manure. Next year I will have a truck load of compost...whew. Thanks again!

I'm surprised that it gets that hot in GV - I assumed that you'd be a few degrees cooler up there. If you are only getting a few degrees below zero then you'd still be in zone6, but I would guess if we got another cold winter where it gets below zero here in Boise, you would be even colder (zone 5 temps). I too remember the -25 record low temp, when I was a kid sub-zero temps were pretty common. Maybe it is just "nostalgia of youth" but I seem to remember having quite a bit more snow as well. We used to ride snow-mobiles right out of our garage.

Yeah that winter in Caldwell, we had 12" of snow in our yard, my dd was a baby, almost 21 now, our furnace quit and the pipes broke in our mobile home. Up here we get over 100" of snow during the winter...not fun to shovel. I can see today how well my straw mulch is working! Am I supposed to mulch the green beans? Thanks!