Tall peas?

[smallblueplanet]

We grow short snap peas, but not very well, lol. Anyway they grow (partly) up a piece of wire netting but never to the top. So I'm wanting to try tall peas, but maybe ones to pod or is there a good tall snap pea. I don't know much about peas, except I like them in a curry!

[.commander]

Not grown them myself but Dowding seems keen on Alderman.

I have only grown meteor. Badly. haha.

[annie8]

Adelman peas grow really tall. I’ve grown them for the last few years and they are really tasty.

[smallblueplanet]

Not grown them myself but Dowding seems keen on Alderman.

I have only grown meteor. Badly. haha.

Alderman are a heritage variety? Never grown 'tall' peas as I've always gone for snap peas and they're shorter - I think. TBH I'm not sure about non-mangetout peas so it'll be an experiment.

[ameno]

You can get tall mangetout (although I've not sure about tall sugar snaps). Carouby de Muassane grows to about 5ft, and is a good mangetout variety with purple flowers.

I've stopped growing tall peas, myself, as no matter where I grow peas I am plagued by pea wilt, and so I have found that the best way for me to get a decent crop from peas is to grow a variety I can plant densely and which grows quickly, so that they crop before they die to the wilt. Tall varieties end up dying for me not long after they start cropping, so I get maybe half a dozen pods from each plant at best. I can get more than that from a smaller plant, and they take less time to grow to that stage, too.

[smallblueplanet]

Tall varieties end up dying for me not long after they start cropping, so I get maybe half a dozen pods from each plant at best. I can get more than that from a smaller plant, and they take less time to grow to that stage, too.

Thanks ameno I didn't know about that. I've seen a sugar snap I might try, just because I didn't think much of Lusaka, gonna try 'sugar crystal' or some other...got that urge to try new things!

[ameno]

Thanks ameno I didn't know about that. I've seen a sugar snap I might try, just because I didn't think much of Lusaka, gonna try 'sugar crystal' or some other...got that urge to try new things!

If you don't suffer from pea wilt where you are then you should be fine.
It's a soil-based thing, and causes a fungal infection of pea (and also broad bean) roots. You can tell you have it as the plant grows weakly and eventually wilts and dies. If you examine the stem at ground level it will be dark brown or black (a healthy stem should be green or very pale brown).
If you have it then there is no way to cure it or outright prevent it. Crop rotation helps, but beyond that all you can do is plant small, fast-growing varieties and plant close together, to compensate for losses.

[Twinsane]

I like Alderman and have grown them for years (though I'm having to grow them at home now due to heavy weevil and pigeon damage). They grow tall (6ft ft plus), and are covered in pods with 8-10 peas per pod. Victoriana nursery also do another one called Victorian Colossal climber which I read somewhere on here was a reselected strain of alderman but I don't want to spend £7.50 to try them!

Realseeds also have a few climbing peas. I'm trying Rosakrone this year as it sounds pretty; I wanted to order Glory of Devon but forgot to put it on my order this year and I've just seen a pea on their website called Sugar Magnolia which they describe as a sugar snap and say it is a tall variety. I may have to make another order!

[ameno]

Realseeds also have a few climbing peas. I'm trying Rosakrone this year as it sounds pretty; I wanted to order Glory of Devon but forgot to put it on my order this year and I've just seen a pea on their website called Sugar Magnolia which they describe as a sugar snap and say it is a tall variety. I may have to make another order!

Realseeds also do Bijou giant mangetout. The plants grow to about 6ft and the pods are massive.
Having grown them last year, though, I can't say I can really recommend them. I had my usual trouble with tall pea plants, but more than that, the taste of the pods was just very underwhelming. They weren't very sweet at all. More starchy, really (tried picking at various stages of maturity, and it made no difference to the flavour).
They seem not to be too great with preventing varieties from mixing, too. Of the 12 plants I grew, only 10 were actually Bijou. One was a gold mangetout, and one was a purple-podded normal pea (which, ironically, was actually a lot sweeter than Bijou, although too tough and stringy to serve as a mangetout).

[smallblueplanet]

As a by the by ameno , when can I start peas off? We always start things off in rootrainers/modules. I guess I'm just desperate in these 'times' to get some fresh stuff growing.

[nick the grief]

I grow Alderman and Ne plus Ultra mainly because it save me bending over to pick them you get 8-10 peas per pod and picked just right they're like having a bag od sweets on the plot . I've got some Carouby to try this time so I'll let you know. the only short one I grow is for early peas under cover or in pots in the greenhouse and thats Douce provence.

As has been stated by others these are heritage varieties so you can save your own seed as they're self fertile and pollenate before the flower opens pretty much, this means that eventually you'll get your own strain that is suited to your plot as you will save off the best plants and unlike a lot of F1's they don't all come together.

[smallblueplanet]

Thanks nick the grief , nice to see you on here, not that I've been back much for ages.

Out of interest (save me googling!) what is the difference between peas and petit pois?

[Twinsane]

That's interesting ameno . I will keep an eye on the Rosakrone this year to see if I have the same issue.

I think that mangetout peas tend to be starchy but are usually grown to be picked as young immature pods and the peas themselves aren't so nice. I don't grown them now, preferring sugarsnaps or shelling peas instead.

[nick the grief]

Thanks nick the grief , nice to see you on here, not that I've been back much for ages.

Out of interest (save me googling!) what is the difference between peas and petit pois?

about 50p in asda

petit pois are just picked early so theyre small but whilst theyre nice and sweet I prefer to to leave them to fill up and you get more for your money and ALderman and Ne plus Ultra are sweet enough anyway.

Yes I've returned to cause havoc again SBP I took early retirement 2 years ago and now have time to do thing agian after spending the previous 2 years working 6 days a week.

[Penellype]

Hurst Green Shaft is a good, reliable standard sized (not dwarf) pea which grows to 4-5ft tall. It has long pods with plenty of peas in each and is widely available.