Tall peas

[Bren In Pots]

I'm growing Telephone and Purple podded peas and they're both starting coming into flower but all the flowers are at the very top with nothing below 5ft. is this normal.

[BertieFox]

Like you I am unfamiliar with tall peas and haven't grown them for many years. This year I've tried a variety called Serpette Guilloteaux, Vilmorin seeds, and they reached around 6 ft. I've grown them up wigwams in part of the polytunnel.
Exactly as you say, all the crop is at the top and the stems are free of flowers and pods, but the overall harvest from a couple of dozen plants is enormous. I have been delighted by the flavour of these, the number in the pod, and the ease of picking... none of that crouching down and rummaging through the foliage. They are still going well here, and I have more growing outside that aren't ready yet. I make a wigwam of giant miscanthus stemsand then just loosely tie in the pea foliage with loops of string as they grow.
I would thoroughly recommend these tall peas unless you live in a windy area, as although there is more work in providing support for them, the crop seems better and there is a lot of work in 'sticking' dwarf peas which are also far more fiddly to pick. Whether tall peas are more vulnerable (or less) to pea moth, I have yet to discover.
the pods were so clean and relatively stringless they could be used to make peapod soup which is something else I would thoroughly recommend as it makes use of something we otherwise throw away.

[Bren In Pots]

Thanks Bertie

My peas have reached the top of their canes so I've pinched out the tops not sure if that will make them produce flowers lower down.
They've been wrapped in debris netting ever since I planted them out because the Sparrows made a meal of those I planted last year.

[Thelma Sanders]

My Telephone easily reach 5ft and then just blow over one side or the other and carry on growing - that's where most of my pods usually form The next row last year was 4ft away and the 2 rows were 'holding hands' across the gap It certainly made picking fun!

[Bren In Pots]

Thelma did you have problems with birds eating them because I've just been watching 9 Sparrows trying to get at the peas through my Debris netting.

[Thelma Sanders]

The sparrers have a bit of a nibble when I grow them in the garden, but peas seem to get left alone on the allotments...........I think they have more choice there

[Potstubsdustbins]

I watched a couple of sparrows on my peas the other week.

When I looked closely it turned out they were after the bits of loose string hanging down from the supports.

Potty

[binley100]

I grow purple podded ones , birds tend to leave them alone . Don't think they like the colour

[Bren In Pots]

'My Sparrows' go after those nice tasty shoots plus they have a knack of plucking off the flowers and leaving them on the path.

[binley100]

I plant mine inside a wigwam with netting round so they can hopefully get going undisturbed .....