Cole crops such as broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale and Brussels sprouts are tolerant of cool temperatures and can be started now as either transplants or seeds. But to my mind, these veggies have always seemed more like fall crops: hearty, sensible fare designed to get you through the winter.

For me, spring vegetables mean fresh, tender and fleeting — peas, salad greens, spinach, radishes, green onions, carrots, beets and asparagus. Sure, carrots and beets are keepers and can be grown in the fall, but baby carrots and spring beets can be almost candy sweet.

I will be growing peas for the first time in about seven years. Peas are easy to grow and should be sown directly into the ground. If you can work the soil and it’s not soggy wet, you can plant your seeds.

Peas are climbers and need some support. The first time I grew peas I built a trellis — a simple structure of a couple of supports with netting in between. I found this terrific how-to on The Compost Bin if you want to give it a try.

But you can also grow peas on fencing, a row of twigs or even let them scramble over low-growing shrubs. Since I have limited space, I’m improvising with a bean tower, which is just an extra-tall tomato cage. It’s always good to innovate and use what you have on hand, so feel free to experiment.

Plant peas in rows about an inch apart. If you do successive sowing, you can stretch out your harvest. I’m growing Dakota, which is a short season crop, and Canoe, which takes a little longer. Peas are nitrogen fixers, so when the plants are done don’t throw them in the compost bin, just dig them back into the soil.

Since I love to cook, I’m already thinking about peas tossed with ricotta, lemon and orecchiette, peas and potato bhaji and spring pea risotto. I will be sharing recipes and if anyone else has ideas for serving up spring veggies, let me know.

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