The growing season for 2015 begins on Tuesday, on traditional pea-planting day.

Snow may be lingering on the north side of dorms, but spring is here. Garden expert Mike McGrath writes at Gardens Alive: “There are two very good reasons to get peas in the ground on March 17th:

“Peas are not a summer crop. As soon as it gets hot, the vines wither up and depart this mortal coil….and one of the great superstitions of gardening is that is it lucky to plant peas on St. Patrick’s Day.