A question of peas?

[lesleygl]

I want to sow some overwintering peas. The varieties I have a choice of are - Early Onward, Hurst Greenshaft, Feltham First and Kelvedon Wonder.

Does anyone have experience of any of these varieities and any tips please?

[Croila]

I'll be interested in the replies here because I plan on sowing some very soon too. I've read about Feltham First and Kelvedon Wonder being very good but have no personal experience of them.

[Suky]

All I know is that smooth peas are best for winter sowing and wrinkled peas are not.

[Croila]

Oh dear, smooth? Wrinkled?! I can see I have to do some reading up on this!

I did sow some peas back in June, Ambassador peas, but I just picked them up in some shop or other, I didn't have a clue what I was doing. I stuck them in the square foot box I've got and they eventually grew ... The pods are just starting to fatten up now actually.

Right. Pea investigation here we come!

[solway cropper]

If we have a winter last the last one you may find there's no advantage to autumn sowing. I tried peas and broad beans and those that survived were overtaken by the spring sown ones. Now, if the met office could guarantee a mild winter it might be different.

[Croila]

Hmmmmm. Well ... As I've been saving toilet roll innards for ages now, I guess I'll sow some anyway but maybe not get my hopes up too much?

I don't think I can face another winter like the last one

[Suky]

I will be sowing some, nothing to lose but a few seeds and the possibility of early peas next year. If very heavy weather is forcast we can always cloche/fleece. Nothing ventured and all that

[Two_Sheds]

The varieties I have a choice of are - Early Onward, Hurst Greenshaft, Feltham First and Kelvedon Wonder.

Your packets will give you sowing times, or Google the individual varieties for planting advice. For example, Greenshaft is a maincrop, summer (wrinkled) pea

[Croila]

Hi, I wonder if anyone can explain the difference between smooth and wrinkled peas, please? Do they taste very different? And do they have different growing requirements?

And do they actually LOOK very different too?

Sorry for my ignorance!

[Suky]

Err, wrinkled peas are exactly that - wrinkled It's the pea itself, not the pod. They taste the same and wrinkled ones can be summer grown too. As Two sheds says, look at the sowing times on the packet and ones that are suitable should have winter sowing dates too. I also think they need to be direct sown, loo rolls are to get an early start on summer peas. If I am wrong then hopefully someone will be along to correct me.

[Croila]

Oh, gosh, thanks Suky ... I had NO idea that it was the pea itself! You might be able to tell, but I'm no pea connoisseur!

For years I've eaten frozen petit pois from supermarkets, but I've never actually tried fresh peas. (Please don't all gasp in horror.)

So, this year I've grown a few Ambassador peas in one of the squares in my square foot bed, but I've not actually eaten any yet - my mother got to them before me! However, I've got a lot of pods on the pea plants still fattening up now, so sometime soon I'm going to actually steam them and see what fresh peas taste like :-)

I'd definitely really like to have early peas next year though, so intend to get a packet of seed this weekend and sow them in toilet rolls. And then keep them under cover for the winter, see if they survive.

I'm thinking of trying Kelvedon Wonder as I keep seeing that name everywhere. Of course, I might kill them off over the winter, or our rotten climate up here might, but it's worth a shot I reckon!

[Flummery]

Wrinkled peas are sweeter to eat. They contain more sugar and when the pea dries it loses more moisture and dried out wrinkly. The round seeded ones are starchier (less sweet) and dry down smoother. The smoother ones are hardier.

[Croila]

Brilliant. Thank you Flummery! Much appreciated. Sounds like wrinkly's good, then!

[Two_Sheds]

intend to get a packet of seed this weekend and sow them in toilet rolls. And then keep them under cover for the winter

I wouldn't use toilet rolls in the winter: you're just asking for rot and moulds. They're great for summer sowing though.

As for your peas: round/smooth/winter peas are hardy, they don't need to be under cover.
Just chit (sprout) them, then sow outside.

[Croila]

Ahhh, thank you Two Sheds! Man, what would I do without the advice on here?! Seriously, I'd make every mistake in the book!

If you don't me asking for some more advice ... at least I really hope you don't ... If I shouldn't use toilet roll, should I sow peas in those root-trainer thingies? Cause I think peas don't like root disturbance, is that right, and they should be transplanted in spring in a whole bundle of soil?

I was going to get Kelvedon Wonder and put them in (well, not toilet rolls any more!) pots and put them in a cold frame over winter? Last winter here in Edinburgh we got down to minus 10 degrees C so I'm wondering if peas will survive that in a cold frame ...

Could be worse though. My poor parents, they're in Inverness-shire, REALLY high up, and they had minus 22 degrees C last winter. Ugh.