Garden tips and events

• If you don't have a traditional vegetable garden, consider growing peas in containers. Their white or purple flowers, dainty-looking but strong tendrils and bright-green pods are quite showy. Peas demand little attention after you sow them until it is time to harvest them.

• Most pea diseases are preventable if you plant them in well-drained soil and do not overwater them. The exception is powdery mildew. If you are planting peas in the summer, select mildew-resistant varieties. Other pests include aphids, slugs and snails, earwigs and cutworms.

• All birds like to dig up seeds and eat them, and quail and other birds like to eat young plants. To stop this from happening, cover planting areas with garden netting, chicken wire or row covers until the plants are large enough that they are no longer attractive to the birds.

• Utah GARDENS, a nonprofit community-garden organization, has secured a 15-acre parcel for a garden at 700 East and 9200 South in Sandy. Individuals and families — as well as youth, church and school groups — can reserve plots for the growing season. As the crops are harvested, gardeners will be able to sell produce at a Farmers Market to be held on Saturdays. For more information, call 362-0982.