Purple Mangetout project (story so far)

[HeyWayne]

How about Celie as a name ma? After the lead character in The Colour Purple.

Well done by the way - it's all witchcraft to me. Amazing.

Now, your next challenge - see if you can get purple peas from the pod.

Congratulations.

[Flummery]

How about Celie as a name ma? After the lead character in The Colour Purple.

Well done by the way - it's all witchcraft to me. Amazing.

Now, your next challenge - see if you can get purple peas from the pod.

Congratulations.

Some people are never satisfied!

PS The colour would still come out in the cooking. I'm after purple mangetout because I can eat them raw with salad.

[HeyWayne]

Some people are never satisfied!

PS The colour would still come out in the cooking. I'm after purple mangetout because I can eat them raw with salad.

What can I say - it's in the upbringing.

I was quite disappointed the first time I cooked purple veg and it changed green in the pan. No I'm not talking about beetroot either...

[chris]

So erm, when do you pic mangetout? I've a few pods really fattening up now.. I'd like to keep a few pods to save the seed from - most of the shop bought ones I've had are pretty much flat.

Looks cool though, have you thought about getting them more widespread - would some one like real seeds be able to grow more on + you take a %?

[Flummery]

I would pick them to eat much flatter than the one in the photo Chris. I had to leave them to swell up so I knew they really were a mangetout. I think Real Seeds might be interested but I'd want to wait till I knew I wouldn't get odd green ones in the mix - several generations down the line.

Leave a few on yours to fatten up for seed. In practice I never pick everything - always miss a few, so leave any that have gone over a bit for seed.

[Flummery]

Some more pictures. The original ones were of the mature pods. It was only at this stage that I was able to be certain they were genuine mangetouts. These are pictures of the pods at an earlier stage, the stage you'd be picking them to eat. The 'varicose' one looks a bit more appetising now! And the purple one is so shiny and lovely - I want to have its babies. Oh yes, that's the point isnt it? To grow on next year!

[FROSTYFRECKLE]

You put us all to shame (well certainly me) Stunning purple colour. All I can say is remember you're part of the seed saving circle (I know I'm a cheeky mare)

[Flummery]

You put us all to shame (well certainly me) Stunning purple colour. All I can say is remember you're part of the seed saving circle (I know I'm a cheeky mare)

Don't worry, all cheeky mares here will be the first to try them - if and when I get a true breeding line!

[womble]

I'm waiting for the sweet purple sheller, then I'm going to be first in line for cheekyness

Hopefully my mutant tigerella will be worth saving this year and next, so I'll have something worth sending out. It's doing really well, first tom in the greenhouse to have fruit on it as too.

[quark1]

I shall also spare my own blushes and be uber cheeky too!

In fact my blushes are likely to be as purple as the pods themselves.

[Bramble_killer]

me me me too please. I've just learnt the beauty of seed saving so will be passing stuff around

[Flummery]

I'll make a note - but it won't be for maybe 3 or 4 years, I don't want to unleash an unstable pea on the world !

[womble]

Going by how unstable many of the people on this forum are......... and you're worried about a pea?





On topicish, I planted some Dutch purple podded and some Alderman (and some mixed up Ne plus ultra) all in the same frame. Now when exactly do I have to start playing GOD to genetically produce mutants?

[Flummery]

You need the bud you are pollinating to be not yet open and the flower providing pollen to be freshly opened. I'd try a purple flowered pollen into a white flowered pea for a first attempt (assuming you mean it!) Then when you grow out the seeds, if any come with white flowers you'll know they are ones that you didn't get to early enough and they self pollinated, because the purple is dominant and will come out in the F1 hybrids. There's something about it on my blog a few weeks ago under the title 'Going equipped' if you want a bit more info.

[womble]

(assuming you mean it!)

I was deadly serious, I just find it hard to be straight faced all the time. Which is why I spend half the time joking, half taking the micky and half writing hopefully interesting stuff..... I think that's right