A few days after I sowed the peas and carrots, I got my Arber Soil & Root Food in the mail. At first glance, I assumed that it was a more concentrated fertilizer because of the word “Food” in the name. No ma’am. After looking up the ingredients, I learned that the mycorrhizal fungi and beneficial microbes in Soil & Root Food colonize on a plant’s roots to encourage more vigorous growth and nutrient utilization. Gardening 101: the more robust your plants’ root systems are, the more water and nutrients your plants can absorb. 

My first thought was– this could be great for the carrots I sowed in the middle of the grow bag with the peas. I didn’t think about how the Soil & Root Food would affect the peas. Honestly, I’d had such bad luck with peas; I was more focused on getting the planting and timing right. Also, I assumed that because peas have shallow root systems, I wouldn’t see a significant benefit from mycorrhizal colonization.  Nonetheless, I sprinkled some Soil & Root Food in the middle of the grow bag around the carrot seeds and watered it in. 

Boy, was I wrong– and pleasantly surprised.

I love peas, but they haven’t loved me back

Like most success stories in the garden, mine begins with a haphazard accident.

Let’s rewind to a few years ago. I had just decided to take the leap and go full throttle on my balcony container garden. I headed down to my favorite local nursery and asked the owner to recommend a few things I should try growing in grow bags.

 “Indeed, peas are one of the easiest things you can grow because they have shallow root systems,” they said. “Cool. Give me 6 starters of Sugar Daddy pea plants, please.”

I planted the pea plants in new, top-quality potting soil with enough organic material to nourish low-feeding pea plants. To my dismay, I think I got maybe 10 delicious sugar snap peas from wimpy starter plants before the summer heat took them out. I was devasted because of how poorly the pea plant held up in my garden.

Second Attempt

But I refused to give up! I read that pea plants don’t tolerate transplantation well because they have sensitive roots. Surely, I would get better results but directly sowing the next round of sugar snap peas that fall once the temps cooled down. 

No dice. They sprouted but only grew to about 2 inches, overwintered, and then grew another few inches when it warmed up in February. 

Still, those overwintered sugar snap peas weren’t looking as robust as I knew sugar snap peas could be. I thought– “Maybe I just needed to direct sow them in the spring. I’ll start another round now.” Then I thought, “Since peas have shallow root systems and will be up on a trellis, I could probably get away with growing a few carrots in the center of the grow bag.” I had just gotten a free pack of carrot seeds and wanted to try them ASAP. Yes, I’m an impatient gardener.

You’re probably thinking– gurl, growing peas and carrots is a lot for a 7-gallon because plants need a little more to grow. But had I not taken this overambitious step, I would have not seen the magic that is Arber Soil & Root Food.

The Harvest

Within a few weeks, the grow bag of sugar snap peas with the Soil & Root Food has SIGNIFICANTLY outgrew the overwintered pea plants and the peas plants I sowed at the same time without adding the Soil & Root Food. Even more, the peas with the Soil & Root Food bloomed and produced sooner than the other 2 grow bags of pea plants.

*These pictures were all taken on the same day*

Do you see how lush these pea plants are? I couldn’t believe my eyes! Unfortunately, the pea plants with the Soil & Root Food grew so vigorously that they completely shaded out the carrots I planted in the center of the bag– I just won’t do that again *LOL*.

I had much better luck with growing peas this spring because the Soil & Root Food increased the surface area of each plant’s root system. As a result, the pea plants took in and utilized more nutrients– growing into healthier and more productive plants.

Lagniappe: A Nitrogen Boost

Here’s the cherry on top, the coup de grace if you will. Pea plants, just like beans and clovers, are nitrogen fixers. They absorb nitrogen from the atmosphere and store it in little nodules along their roots. But they don’t use this excess nitrogen for themselves. When the plant’s stem is cut at the base, the roots release the nitrogen into the soil to nourish whatever is planted next.

In my previous attempts to grow sugar snap peas, I pulled up a few plants to check for the nodules on the roots. Nothing. However, at the end of spring when I pulled up a pea plant from the grow bag with the Soil & Root Food, I found that the roots weren’t shallow at all AND were covered in nitrogen-filled nodules.

Not only did Arber Soil & Root Food finally give me a full season of the sweetest sugar snap peas, it allowed those peas to give a nitrogen boost to the okra I planted next in their grow bags at the beginning of summer. 

I will never plant anything in my garden without Soil & Root Food.