Growing Peas

[jeannine]

No rain in my raspberry fool Jeannine

LOL! Loving it bobleponge! You'd think I'd be able to spell being a journalist and all...

[Eden]

Hi there! I have a huge collection of square 3" black pots, every year I wash them out (used them for years and years now!) and plant peas 3/4 per pot, all types of beans 1 per pot, sweetcorn 1, pumpkin 1, squash 1, cucumber 1, etc etc. I plant all my onion sets in trays with about 15 compartments to get them all off to a good start. Last year I also planted parsnips and beetroot like this. I find this way they get the best start, you can pick out the strongest plants and put them in their final position. There's just something really rewarding filling my wheelbarrow with the baby plants, getting down to the allotment and planting them! I've grown Alderman peas for a couple of years now and fully recommend them - the fattest, sweetest juiciest peas ever! I grew them against a fence (right next to my garden seating) in a large tub and Oooo it was lovely sitting there, picking the pods and munching them whilst relaxing!!

[Vegetarian Fox]

I have found planting in modules first and then transplating avoids the mouse problem and also ensures you can select the healthiest looking plants (although in general I get close to 95% germination success planting around this time of year and putting straight into an unheated cold frame) Some care needed during transplanting, but fairly straightforward

Other thing to ensure is that you put in proper supports at the time of transplanting as it is much more difficult later on

Finally when you start picking, make sure you pick from the bottom of the plant first, as these tend to ripen earlier - this then stimulates more pods and extends the harvest
Good luck
VF

[kittykat8]

I was going to buy a packet of seds but post was expensive

marion

[Farmer_Gyles]

i'm wondering about successional sowing - how long does a pea plant keep producing pea pods? cos if i need to replace the plant, i'll need to sow more in time for the new ones to replace the old one ....

so if i'm sowing now, when would i need to sow again to replace the first ones?

[Eden]

Hi there Farmer Gyles, give this a go -
For a May/June crop;
Sow undercover end of Feb, early March. Grow a 'round' variety (Feltham First, Meteor, Pilot).

For a June/July crop;
For a mid March sowing choose a round variety (as above) or a first early wrinkled variety (Klevedon Wonder, Beagle, Early Onward).

For a late March or April sowing choose a second early wrinkled variety (Onward, Hurst Greenshaft).

For an August crop;
Use a maincrop variety (Alderman, Senator) sown end April/early May.

For an September/October crop sow end of June/early July a first early wrinkled (Klevedon Wonder/ Pioneer).

Flippen 'eck!! That's a lot to remember! I've only ever planted one time during the growing season but I'm going to do successional sowings so I've got peas on tap,

good luck,
Eden

[Steve(spt)]

Last year (2007) I planted Kelvedon Wonder, now this year with my new lottie I'm going for the 5 feet tall alderman peas.

[Farmer_Gyles]

i want to maximise the use of my veggie patch with better spacing of veggies
the packet (kelvedon wonder) says to sow the peas in a zigzag pattern either side of a drill and to space the peas 2" apart
so effectively it's two rows in one drill (with netting support between the rows), with peas in each row being just 2" apart?
can they really be that close together?
if so, that means a 6 foot long drill (72") will have 36 plants each side of the netting?
or do they mean 4" apart in each row? (18 plants each side of the netting)

[tootles]

pea support

I have planted a couple of rows of 3' climbing peas. I haven't grown anything that tall before (the less said about my earlier attempts, the better!) what should I use to stake them? I have cut loads of chestnut branches and put some in the ground at the weekend (so as not to disturb the roots as they grow), but the poles seem very wobbly..... will this be enough support or will they need something more substantial?? What sort of weight will need to be supported?

[Speed Gardener]

They can get pretty heavy when ripening, you might need something a bit more substantial, especially if we get any windy weather. The peas themselves have no supporting strength at all, they just cling to whatever you've got in place. I used some sturdy poles at about six foot spacing and strung one of those large mesh nets between them. As long as the poles and nets are secure, the peas will climb to the top no bother. I grew the old Victorian variety Ne Plus Ultra (as seen on the Victorian Kitchen Garden) and the went up six ir seven feet with loads of pods.

[moggssue]

Going back to the mouse issue - will a home made cloche of a cut-in-half- lengthways plastic water bottle laid over direct sown pea seeds keep the mice off, or will they burrow under?

I have a new lottie and have no idea whether there's a mouse problem yet - tho I'm expecting the worst

[skybluepink]

Does any one else have problems with caterpillars. For years i have only grown early ones, i get yummy crops till about june / july , they then get infested with green caterpillars . I would love to grow peas later in year but obviously dont want to use pesticides any tips .

[sewer rat]

The problem with mice is that they will burrow and an adult field mouse can squeeze through a hole that is only the size of a BIC biro type pen. Soaking in paraffin seems to be one successful method of deteringthe critters.
On the more genral subject of peas and sowing, I sow mine (Kelvedon Wonder) direct in rows 9" apart and immediately after this I erect my pea netting (though this year it'll be chickenwire). Although I get a few blanks, the crop will soon thicken out and to be honest, I could do with sowing thinner as when the crop is in full production it is so easy to miss loads of pods.
I tried Onward last year but it was so bad, I rotavated it back intothe ground and planted lettuces instead. This year I might give Greenshaft a go after my KW's.

[Flummery]

Does any one else have problems with caterpillars. For years i have only grown early ones, i get yummy crops till about june / july , they then get infested with green caterpillars . I would love to grow peas later in year but obviously dont want to use pesticides any tips .

These are pea moth caterpillars. I usually only grow peas early in the season but you could cover everything with enviromesh - bit unwieldy though.