What do I need to know about peas?

Thinking ahead to next year - I want to grow something I've not grown before ..... peas.

My garden is mainly given over to flowers, but I do manage to squeeze in (amongst them) runner beans, French beans, potatoes, tomatoes, strawberries, rasperries, lettuce, spring onions and a whole variety of herbs.

Before I go mad and start making plans to fill up the area where my French beans are currently growing (in an area 10' by about 15"), I'd appreciate a bit of advice on what sort of an area I should 'ear mark' for the peas and how many plants I might need to think about.

Basically, there's only me at home (with Mr. F'smum away so much), so I don't want 'pea overload' but I do have 3 daughters who've never been known to refuse garden produce and, of course there's always the freezer.

Whilst the current bean row is 10' long, I can be a bit flexible with the width up to about 3', if I dig up a bit more lawn! (Who needs lawn anyway ).

 

Hi Figetsmum,

You don't get a huge yield per plant so the more the merrier i'd say, especially with a freezer to fill.

Have a look at this

Vegetable Seeds : Pea seeds

I grow Mangetout as well as the podding varieties. This year i'm trying out 2 of the Heritage Peas, Champion of England and Ne Plus Ultra, both of which are currently taller than me and still growing

My first Mangetout are over, got some more coming up & i'll be doing a later sowing to pick into Winter. Was picking up till the snow came last year.

 

Fm, a row or two of Hurst Greenshaft should sort you out. 2 rows a spit wide and about 15ft in length, planted about 6 weeks apart. Perfect.

 

The wife and I grew a single row about 15ft long once. The birds got some of them, but there was still more than enough for us. We got several carrier bags full. Don't know what variety they were, but they'd have just been whatever Wilkinsons or B&Q sells.

 

Thank you for that everyone. I'm happy to sacrifice a bit of lawn for the purposes of an extra row and/or a successive sowing.

 

Hi folks.

Just to slightly side-track, I have been considering growing peas at some stage, but I'm put off when I hear people saying that frozen peas taste every bit as good as fresh. Does anyone have any opinions on this ?

Cheers...Freddy.

 

No they dont taste as good Freddy.

Its years since I grew peas but I still remember that just picked taste.

I do think you need to watch which varieties you grow though, the hardier ones dont actually taste as good as frozen ones,

I always grew hurst greenshaft, (as has been mentioned), it was the best in my view, available at the time.

 

Hi pete, thanks for that. I assume it's now too late to sow some ?

 

Yes IMHO

Quality frozen peas are as good if not better than poor homegrown ones

TASTE TEST
Some years ago whilst on holiday in Norfolk (poor in a caravan site)
The Captain and his bird dropped in with a Gi Huge machine and stripped the pea field bare in two hours, and took two large chiller artic lorry loads full away

There were a good few pods left on the ground which I took advantage of
Delicious
When back home a couple of weeks later I purhcased a bag of the Captains frozen peas, and they were just the same as the ones we nicked from the field after he cropped them

Now onto the allotments at home, Bill's peas were succulent and very tasty, better or as good as the Captains, whilst Pete's peas were quite dry and not as sweet. though I have no way of knowing if they were the same variety as the Captains

I expect it is a gardeners thing to slave and nurture for weeks then pick a couple of pounds of fresh garden peas as opposed to popping to the Icelandic shop and pay £2 for a tonne

I am preparing for my first garden venture with peas when I retire in March :-)

Regards Jack McH

 

I've not been a huge pea grower before this year, more of a french bean man.

I must admit, the taste of the fresh Mange tout and the "Early Onwards" have been fantastic so far.

Looking forwards to the Victorian Varieties which are coming on nicely.

Not knocking frozen peas mind. Good way of storing them for the hungry gap.

 

I love frozen peas, tinned peas, mushy peas. Freshly picked peas though, especially when they're sweet types are just gorgeous.

I've been growing Tom Thumb peas from jungleseeds this year, a pea from the 1850s. They're about eight inches high and the taste is ooh la la! Highly recommended.

 

Hey Atticus,

It was your peas that I was going on about. Thanks for those

 

You're welcome, anytime. I really like the climbing peas, lovely stuff. I won't be bothering with the run of the mill peas again.