It is my belief that there is a solution to any gardening problem, you just have to find it. However, some problem's solutions may be not economically viable. So far this year we've successfully managed: Spider mites. Cabbage moths. Aphids. Squirrels. Deer. Of course, those were the least of our problems. Even though it snowed here for two days, and was near freezing for an entire week at the beginning of June, we still held out hope for a good year. "It'll warm up!" We told each other, as we replaced frozen seedlings. It didn't warm up. Half of June had lows in the 30's. Half of July had lows in the 40's. We've had only a few days in the 90's. These last two weeks are supposed to be the warmest weeks of the year, and the height of our growing season, but the temps have struggled to even get into the 70's. A few nights ago, the temps were in the upper 30's and low 40's once again. It has been like Zone 1B or 2A, instead of Zone 3B. I've already written off any fruiting plants that normally take longer than 70 days. Walthams? Forget it! Melons? No way. Sweet corn? Not a chance, since even the wheat in the fields is having difficulty ripening. We'll be lucky to get any cucumbers at all, and a few tomatoes that will have to be ripened off the vine. No living person can remember a colder Summer in the area. But... There are beets, leafy vegetables, potatoes, and such. The frustrating part is figuring out if more high tunnels are worth it, or would moving be a better idea.

In recent years, I have been pursuing & trialing the "afila" (semi-leafless) varieties, such as "Novella" & "Mesa". They are short, self-supporting if planted closely (well adapted to wide rows), and tend to ripen uniformly... but so far, the yield has been disappointing, and the harvest window short. "Mesa" demonstrates considerable instability, and I am hoping to improve it. There is even an afila snap pea, "Sugar Lace". The pods are quite large for a sugar snap, and borne on short 12" vines. The original had very poor germination for me, even after multiple attempts; "Sugar Lace II" (which is still a PVP variety) has fared much better. But my all-time favorite green pea is "Green Arrow", for its large pods, compact vines, and high yield.

Larry, Southern peas do best on sandy soil that has been enriched with organic matter, but will perform pretty well in any soil. I grow southern peas in improved clay and they do just fine. Without knowing how high your P and K are, it is difficult to guess if southern peas will do well there, but it is likely they will. If planting in soil like that, I wouldn't add any fertilizer at all and especially not nitrogen because they don't need it and it will give you a lot of vine and not many peas. Southern peas are very sensitive to soil pH, though, and will perform well only if grown in soil that has the pH they need. The pH they need is anything between 5.5 and 7.5. To ensure you get a good crop, it helps if you innoculate your pea seed with a pea and bean innoculant if you're growing them in an area where peas and beans haven't been grown recently. I have only harvested one round of new potatoes to eat with the first picking of green beans. I planted potatoes in March and likely won't harvest until sometime after mid-June for the early varieties and not until July for the late ones. Potatoes take quite a while to produce a bountiful harvest! Most potato varieties aren't ready for harvest for me until about 3 to 4 months after I planted the potatoes. If the spring stayed abnormally cool and they got off to a slow start, it can take them about a month longer. Dawn

So glad you solved your mystery! On another note: for many seasons I've had a bird feeder station with tons of house finches/goldfinches/house sparrows/etc. just a few feet away from my veggie beds planted with peas, without any noticeable losses. It sounds as though the birds in your area are hungry for protein, as nesting season's underway. Now they've learned to eat a handy alternative when insect populations are low: your poor peas! It sounds counter-intuitive, but offering them a feeder filled with oily black sunflower seeds might keep losses to a minimum. In my experience, they'd much rather have enticing, easy-to-get fatty seeds than the so-so peas. Other people's mileage may vary, of course. Since pea-prospecting is a learned behavior, bird netting is currently your best bet until the next few generations "forget" this food source. Best wishes for your garden, L