All about Peas

[bario1]

^^^^

Which variety, Vixylix?

[Potstubsdustbins]

Kelvedon Wonder, only 3ft tall so ideal for containers, a nice sweet early pea, on a good year I can manage two plantings.

But most important because............................SWMBO tells me to................

[chilli_grower]

THis thread has come at a good time, as I am going to grow peas for the first time next year.

I have an area 5m long x 1m wide just for peas.

[WendyC]

"Shiraz" mangetout are not worth the effort as they don't taste very nice.

[Penellype]

I'll second the comment on Shiraz mangetout - I was seduced by the promise of pretty purple flowers and pods and a good flavour. The reality was pretty flowers turning into pods that weren't really visible for a show, and tasted of very little. Peas left to mature a bit tasted of sawdust - very unpleasant.

I completely ignore the instructions for spacing that you read on the packets and almost everywhere else. Normally I would make 5 sowings spaced 2-3 weeks apart, although the last one is rather later. I plant 5 peas in a 3.5inch pot, 10 pots at a time, and when planted out at about 4-6 inches high this does a 1m row with the contents of the pots simply placed in a trench (square pots are easier) against supporting netting. Most times I will get 3-5 plants per pot from this and for maincrop peas it gives me more than I can eat.

I grow Meteor for earlies, Hurst Greenshaft and Onward for maincrop and Geisha (dwarf, semi-leafless) for the last sowing as this is a late variety. Last year I planted out the Geisha round the edge of a 30 litre bucket and they grew very well.

This year I had some problems with mildew particularly on the later maincrop sowings, so I am going to try Terrain next year instead of Onward. This one is supposed to be resistant to mildew so I thought it worth a try. I don't usually grow mangetout or sugar peas as I don't fancy eating the pods without opening them in case of pea moth!

The other one I tried this year was half pint, which is a very dwarf variety suitable for pots. I grew it indoors on the windowsill very early in the year and it did produce some peas, although only a few at a time from very small pods (average 3-4 peas).

[Aberdeenplotter]

I grow a variety named Show Perfection which is a tall growing pea and is ideal for exhibition but is also tremendously tasty.
Up here it takes around 100 days from sowing to cropping and coincidentally is nicknamed the 100 day pea. It is very reliable, it is easy to get a dozen pods with a minimum of 11 peas and can have as many of 14. I won the National Vegetable Society class for 12 pods in the National Championships at Dorchester last year and was second at Dundee this year with that variety.

[w33blegurl]

In the past I have only grown peas to feed the slugs (apparently!!), but giving it another go as I like to eat them straight from the pod while pottering round the plot. Have some meteor for early and will choose something else for later in the year as well! Prefer the round ones to the mange tout types!

[noviceveggrower]

Anything little green and round. Will loves peas and insists on having them at dinner time and tea time. Managed to grow a few this year for him possibly one boiling for him so he was a little bit impressed but not much.
Have got some peas from the VSP this year so will be giving them a bash. There seems to be several pea growers at the new plot site so will be asking them for their advice. Might be able to impress a 5 year old next year.

[bramble]

I have decided not to grow peas any more as they take up too much space that i really can' t afford to give them.
Yes, they are lovely when picked fresh but when you shell them and look at what you' ve got its not worth it.

[Thelma Sanders]

I find if you get them sown early you can pick peas in June and then grow something else straight after

- Result

[WPG]

I've tried all sorts of varieties over the past 3 years, but from now on am sticking with Hursts greenshaft. They're just the right height for me, very reliable, plenty of pods per plant, and lovely and sweet.

The dwarf peas I tried (Lincoln) didn't produce enough pods to justify the space, the very tall Alderman peas almost needed scaffolding to keep them upright, I found mangetout needed picking at exactly the right time or else they got tough, and the purple podded peas I grew were so bitter they were inedible.

I'm tending to grow less peas these days anyhow. Like Bramble says, they take up so much space that they're not great value.

[Jungle Jane]

I've only been brave enough for dwarf varieties so far,they end up in a tangle,who knows what it would look like with a tall variety. How do you make them grow upwards,instead of across....Made two meals with my bingo peas this year,egg,peas & red duke of York potato wedges,if I owned chickens,I could probably live on that.

[Penellype]

You need strong supports which are an adequate height for the variety. I usually use the 1m high plastic mesh often sold on rolls at garden centres, secured with zip ties onto stakes or broom handles pushed well into the ground. Even so, because I grow mine against a fence, I find they tend to lean towards the sun and I have to tie them back with string. This year they grew very tall and then bent over, which made harvesting very difficult.

[Potstubsdustbins]

I have two secret weapons when it comes to harvest..........................one SWMBO and ..........one granddaughter no pea pod is safe with those two.

[Lisasbolt]

Last year i grew Lincoln and alderman. My queen chicken got their before i did and ate every single 500+ seedling when about 6 inches tall, and then did then same thing after with the next bunch but they got to 8 inches, i still do not have the heart to clip her wings. (although going to a new home soon, the quails went today)
Before i remember growing meteor and petite pois- petit provencal and having much success. Pretty sure Rondo has done well.
I also grew a purple m-t but cannot remember what type but tasted horrible.
This year i have got my petite pois- petit provencal, some pea seeds from lidl which i might use for pea shoots and m-t carouby de muasanne, all are going well and have just started to show their little heads.
I used to have a lot better success back in the UK with peas.
I get the OH to help shell but i think he ends up eating more than what ends up in the bowl.