May 15

The peas have been up for a few days now in the far field across the street, and I went this morning for a walk around the two track that borders one side so that I could see their progress. There are twenty or so undulating rows of perhaps 200 feet each side by side, with small ridges in the middle where the seedlings are spaced one right next to the other. It is pristine looking right now, for each row contains only the pea plants elevated at the top, with the sloping sides almost uniformly of dew-moistened soil and scattered rocks. The only real color, apart from the subtle shades of brown, is the darkened green of the cotyledons and initial leaves, plants no bigger than an inch and showing the first tendrils that distinguish peas so.

Soon the weeds will invade, as weeds do, when the temperatures rise and the seeds that lay waiting in the slopes and valleys of each row remain undisturbed. Left uncultivated, these rows will be laden with mustard, rocket, chickweed and purslane in no time, each competing with one another for space and moisture and resources until chance favors their own expediency to reproduce.