Pea help

[Squash Muppet]

Hi

Ok so my peas are planted - yay - but I was looking in the Hessayon veggie and herb expert book last night and he says that when the flowers appear they have to be sprayed with something (fenotron / fenitron???) to prevent maggoty peas. Now I've never grown peas before and I do try to take an organic approach to my whole plot so don't really want to be spraying something yucky on the peas.

What do you think / suggest?

Thanks and happy growing.
Squash Muppet

[Flummery]

I've never had pea maggots SM. I think it might be like carrot fly in that early sowings may miss it. It's just that I've never been organised enough to get a second sowing in! Maybe a more experienced pea grower (Geordie seems to like them!) can tell you more. Wouldn't want to spray though.

[Lesley Jay]

Early and late sowings of peas should miss the pea maggots. They are horrible and I often wonder if they are in the mange tout that people grow at our allotments!

[Alison]

Never had a problem with them in mange tout - makes me feel sick to think about it though.

[denise]

I dont think I want to grow mange tout for that reson - sounds just so gross.
I remember shelling the peas my dad grew and the amount of pea maggots in them.

[Squash Muppet]

Aaaarrrrgggghhhh!

Sounds disgusting!

So by the time my peas grow will they be early or late?


Cheers
Squash Muppet

[Flummery]

If they're in now they'll be early. The advice is usually to make successional sowings. As I said, never been that organised!

[janekt]

Hi folks, I'm new to all this too
Can I just ask is it best to sow peas directly outdoors at this time of year, if so do they need protecting?

[Lesley Jay]

Hi Jane! Welcome to this madhouse!!

I always sow my peas in the greenhouse, in cells, then plant them out. The first year I sowed them direct into the ground they were pinched presumably by mice!!

[PAULW]

I use scotts bug clear against pea maggot spray the pea flowers this is where the moth lays its eggs, read the blurb and it gives the safe times between spraying and eating

[rustylady]

Maggots only seem to happen when you are growing peas to full size, so mangetouts should miss them. It is really disgusting though when you pick a pod to eat raw and find horrible crawly things in it

[Two_Sheds]

I had a lot of pea moth maggots last summer...but only one or two peas were affected in each pod, so I still ate the good ones. After all those weeks of work I wasn't going to compost the whole lot!
apparently they are active May-August, so time your peas so they aren't in flower at that time...easier said than done? I still won't spray, but I might cover my peas with fine netting during the summer this time.

[Lesley Jay]

I am with you on that Two Sheds. I still cooked and froze the good ones.

[Weavie]

Hi - Noticed a small blue moth fluttering by the peas and mange tout today. It was very pretty BUT it occured to me that this could be a pea moth. Does anyone know if the pea moth is blue please?

[Paulottie]

I use scotts bug clear against pea maggot spray the pea flowers this is where the moth lays its eggs, read the blurb and it gives the safe times between spraying and eating

I have no idea what poisonous stuff is in 'Scott's bug clear' (permethrin or fernitrothion?) but I can't imagine anything that could potentially damage as many bees and beneficial insects as spraying a crop in open flower. I think maybe pirimicarb is safe for bees, ladybirds, lacewings etc. and is possibly effective against moths. Whatever, I beg you all to be REALLY careful to research this if you must take the chemical line.

Cydia nigricana lays its eggs on flowering peas in June and July which is why early/late crops usually avoid damage (peas grow better in the cool anyway). Also the pupae hibernate just under soil surface and can be raked up for the birds in winter, handy if you've got chickens. Fleece might have worked- but then the pollinators can't get to the flowers?

Evidently, one possibility is pheromone traps. The principal being- catch the randy males and girls go sexless. not sure where to source them tho'

Yeah, picking out maggoty peas is a bit unpleasant- but come on guys i'm sure that even if there were a few in mange tout or sugarsnaps they would be microscopic.