How I Sow and Grow Peas
Peas, in my opinion, should be a permanent feature on every growers list. They are amongst the easiest of vegetables to grow, the easiest to store and amongst the best liked out of the main crops. There are so many different types of peas out there, that it's pointless me trying to go through them all. But, one that sticks out for us is a variety called Hurst Greenshaft. They are a podding variety and are abundant in harvest. There are a few things to keep an eye out for through the growing lifecycle, but in the main, they are robust and reliable.
Peas are quite happy to germinate in relatively cool conditions, so as long as they are kept under cover in a polytunnel or green house to start off with, they should be good to go from around early to mid March. After they germinate, the new growth can be a little susceptible to frost, but a covering of fleece or bubble wrap will help protect them through the rest of the month.
We start our pea growing by sowing them in lengths of guttering. I know, a bit weird, but trust me. Thousands of growers do it, because it just works! Let me explain. First, we need some guttering, or lengths of pipe cut lengthways. Then, seal off the ends with some gaffa tape or something similar.
Next, we sprinkle some compost along the guttering, to around 3 or 4cm deep.
This gives us a sowing bed on which the peas can be sown. We tend to be quite generous with the amount of peas we use, although if you stick to the packet instructions, you can probably make your pea seeds go further. Some people choose to soak their peas for a couple of hours before hand, but we have always found that it makes little difference.
While the peas germinate and start growing, prep work can be done on the bed where they will be transferred too. This usually means applying manure, digestate or pelletised chicken manure to give the plants a good boost of nitrogen. Then, it's time to create a structure for the pea plants to climb. Hurst Greenshaft don't grow particularly tall, so a length of plastic mesh, around 500mm tall does just the job. It's held up with canes or metal spikes along the length of the bed. Our veg beds are all sized around 1.1m to 1.3m wide, so there is enough room for 2 full rows of pea plants.
This is when the idea of growing in guttering, or similar really comes into it's own. While the peas are growing, they can be a great source of food for vermin and birds. Starting them in guttering undercover gives you a great chance of eliminating these risks. A few times I have tried to do a late sowing of peas, direct into the soil, only to find that within a week, the mice have been out and helped themselves!
Germination may appear a bit sporadic at first, but usually, it all catches up, by early to mid April, the peas should be well on their way to getting around 10 to 15cm tall. Providing the weather is looking good, the risk of any hard frosts should have passed, though it's worth remaining vigilant. It's time to plant them out. And this has to be the easiest way of transplanting plants ever! It's worth giving the plants a light watering at least 10 minutes or so before transplanting. So, a quick sprinkle, and while that's soaking in, it's time to hoe out, or trowel out a trench along the foot of the plastic mesh to slightly deeper as the depth of the guttering and a similar width. With the plants moistened, it's time to remove the tape from the ends of the guttering. With the compost being moist, you should find that holding the guttering at around 45 degrees to the ground, and applying minimal pressure, the length of peas should slide out of the guttering and into the little trench, moving the guttering back along the length of the trench as the plants slip put the end. And there you have it - and instant row of peas!
If you find a few gaps that haven't germinated, it's easy enough to break off a small strip from another length of guttering and fill in the gaps.
Peas really like to keep their feet moist, so it's important to water them in well, and keep on top of the watering right the way through their growth and development. They will soon put on more growth and start climbing up the plastic mesh. Occasionally, they may put on so much growth that they can start to fall away from their support just under their own weight. If this is the case, it worth tying them in and adding more support if needed.
The first signs that your harvest is only weeks away are the arrival of the flowers on each of the plants. A great swathe of flowers is a good sign of a bountiful harvest to come. Be aware of high winds and protect them as best as possible. No sooner have the flowers arrived than you'll soon start seeing the pods form. Hurst Greenshaft produce pods containing around 6 to 8 peas in each pod. They swell quickly and you know that it's time to pick them when they swell to the point that you can just about see the number of peas in each pod without having to split them open. Be aware though, as soon as they start getting to this point, it's time to get on and harvest them. What wasn't ready to harvest on one day will only take one more day to be ready to harvest the next. Before you know it, you will be harvesting peas daily.
After a few weeks of harvest, things will begin to slow down a little, and the plants will soon start to show signs of dying back. Providing regular watering and feeding have been taking place though, the harvest can be prolonged. A word of caution though. We have found that if you leave your crop on the plant too long, pea moth starts to become an issue. You will soon start to either see a very small hole appear on the side of the pod, or, if you open a pod, a small green grub inside starting to feast on the peas. When you get to this stage, be prepare to start throwing more and more pods on the compost pile for disposal. Hopefully, by the time you get to this point though, a vast majority of your harvest will be complete and losses will be minimal.
To avoid a glut of peas, it is possible to space out planting by a month or so, starting some under cover, and when it comes to transplant time, then either when one length is transplanted, started off another stretch of guttering for a second row. Or, you could just direct sow and take your chances with the vermin. I don't mind a glut though and will happily pod peas in front of the TV each evening and blanch them off before freezing them.
There you have it. Pea growing made simple.
