Advice peas..

[bobbin]

Can anyone give some advice re peas. I have harvested the pods,didn't sow masses and masses but fair crop.(No pun intended!)However I can see where I have gone wrong. I left peas to slightly fatten and was rewarded with tough pods and none too sweet peas. However worst is the disgusting pea moth bugs. I can stomach much but opening pods to expose a wriggly mess makes me heave.I understand you can cover with fleece just prior to flowering but how on earth this is possible without an elaborate frame escapes me. Also if you grow mange tout or sugar snaps which are eaten pod and all does that mean you simply eat the bugs (gulp) regardless.
I am going to plant a late crop as although the packets stipulate end of June for last sowing my very informative book Allotment month by month does indicate a July sowing as possible. I am in West Sussex so temperatures ok.
Your help please.!!

[SarzWix]

Early and late sowings are supposed to escape the attentions of the pea moth, so I think it would be worth a go. In West Sussex you should have a slightly longer season anyway.

[Flummery]

I hardly get any pea maggots but I sow early. I sow in modules (root trainers) so I get my plants on good and strong in the greenhouse before putting them out. A few weeks makes all the difference and peas are surprisingly hardy. My peas (which are almost all eaten now and growing on to dry for seed) had hard frosts and inches of snow thrown at them in February/March time to no disadvantage.

[bobbin]

Thanks for those bits of info. Can anyone add anymore?

[Speed Gardener]

I try to sow early to avoid the dreaded moth, although the first and second lots usually end up being ready at the same time. This year was a bit late due to the cold weather but I sowed six different types at weekly intervals and the last lot are just about to start cropping. I haven't had much maggot infestation this year, not sure if that's due to the dry weather. Had a bit of trouble with pea weevil early on, though.
I'd give it a go with the late sowing, if we have an autumn like last year, the plants should still be going long enough to get a crop from them.

[Two_Sheds]

Early and late sowings are supposed to escape the attentions of the pea moth

I hardly get any pea maggots but I sow early. I sow in modules

I do the same as these fine ladies.
I just had my best-ever year for peas: hardly any maggots at all (the long cold spring may have helped).
Smooth peas are hardy, so can be started really early in pots, and planted out when they are big enough to withstand a sparrow/sluggy nibble.
I covered the flowers with a piece of voile net curtain in June/July: it only needs to be on while the flowers set (I grow them up chicken wire, and peg the voile to the wire).

[Caro]

Eeeeewwww

That's gross. Thanks to this thread, I just "candled" all the peas I picked this evening before daring to pod them. Thankfully, all good!