peas.. one pod per plant??

[ckfe]

surely i'm going to get more than one pod on each plant?.. i've never planted peas before so i assumed the 7 or 8 kelvedon wonder i planted would provide an abundance of pods, but so far i've only had one pod on each one

there only seems to be a couple more flowers on each plant too.. they're about a foot and half high

will i get more?

[bluemoon]

One per plant is a little light, but also you're unlikely to get a decent crop from 7 or 8 plants. Not only does each plant not produce vast quantities, but they are ready at different times, meaning you'll probably have to keep freezing them until you have enough for a meal. It's why I can never understand it when people sow them in individual pots, far too much hassle and expense for very little return. They need to be sown 2" apart in V formations, either side of a double row a couple of feet apart, so a double row a metre long will need at least 75 individual seeds, which is usually about quarter of a packet, then you need to successionally sow further rows as the season progresses. In order to keep us in fresh peas and have a few for the freezer I usually sow 4 packets per year, plus an overwintering variety for really early ones.

[ckfe]

One per plant is a little light, but also you're unlikely to get a decent crop from 7 or 8 plants. Not only does each plant not produce vast quantities, but they are ready at different times, meaning you'll probably have to keep freezing them until you have enough for a meal.

yeah and i think i'll have eaten them by the time i get from the garden to the freezer

is it too late to plant more?

[gojiberry]

I sow mine in 1' drainpipes and sow in double rows one each side of the drainpipe and usually about half inch apart. Probably sow about 50 seed in each piece of drainpipe. Wait until they are 2" tall and plant out on the lottie, 5 lengths to a row across the bed supported on either side by a mesh frame.

Ian

[gojiberry]

As an afterthought I did do a yield survey in the middle of summer, (yes we did have a few sunny days) and as an average I was getting 40 peas for every one I had sown which isn't a bad return. Just wish I could get a 40 to 1 return on financial investments.

Ian

[ckfe]

I sow mine in 1' drainpipes and sow in double rows one each side of the drainpipe and usually about half inch apart. Probably sow about 50 seed in each piece of drainpipe. Wait until they are 2" tall and plant out on the lottie, 5 lengths to a row across the bed supported on either side by a mesh frame.

Ian

having problems visualising this

don't suppose anyone has any pics of how this is done have they?

[bluemoon]

Mmm, I think what Gojiberry calls a double row, and what I call a double row are 2 different things. Basically what GB means (and what I meant by sowing in V formation) is that you sow 2 staggered lines, with seeds 2 inches apart making V shapes as you go, so the seeds zig-zag along. But what I meant by a double row is you then do it again, 2ft away on a parallel line with the first. This means you can have support netting in the middle and it will support both. GB sows them in a guttering first then slides the whole thing out in its final planting place. Personally I don't think that's necessary, you just need to chit the seeds first and you should have close to 100% germination even from a direct sowing. Both methods work, it's just personal preference. It's getting a little late to sow any more now, much of it depends upon the weather, but I usually finish sowing peas by late July, popping a quick row of earlies in, in the hope that they'll mature in time, sometimes they do, sometimes they don't.

[Alice]

You should get more than 1 pod from each plant CKFE. Each plant should be hanging in pods. But with 7 or 8 plants that still wouldn't give you a lot of peas. There's still time and if your peas are still flowering you might get a lot more.

As for visualising it - I plant peas like this

Scrape out a trench in the ground about 4" wide and a scant 1" deep.
Plant the peas 4" apart down the outside edges of the trench
Then go down the middle of the trench planting peas 4" apart but planting in the middle of the space from the peas opposite each other.

Can you visualise that ?

[PaulG]

Not sure of the variety but we grew around 15-20 plants, all got 1 to 1.5 feet tall, the plants are now starting to die, we managed 2 meals for 4 people from them and a few left over to dry out and save for replanting next year.