[AnneB]

I am growing my usual Wizard Field Beans and 3 varieties of peas this year.  A big row of Stokesley that normally gets to about 5 foot in height plus Rosakrone and Kent Blue that are normally in the 4 to 5 foot bracket.  The field beans normally get to about 5 ft.
This year the field beans are around 2- 3 ft tall.  Stokesley peas are 3.5 to 4 ft. Rosakrone and Kent Blue to 3 ft.
All the plants seem very healthy and are loaded with flowers.
I have fed with chicken manure pellets and now comfrey tea.

Why are they so short??
Weather?

All brassicas are fine.  Beetroot a bit feeble too

[Mr Dog]

Same here: Sutton, Bunyards and Masterpiece Green Longpod broad bean plants all only about half normal size and my Hurst Green Shaft peas have reached the dizzy heights of about 8"!

[Plot 1 Problems]

Everything's in a muddle because we went from cold winter to hot summer in a matter of weeks.
I've even had radishes fail this year...

[Mr Dog]

Everything's in a muddle because we went from cold winter to hot summer in a matter of weeks.
I've even had radishes fail this year...

I showed some radishes in the greenhouse as normal at the end of March. Only one germinated so it was enjoyed with relish. However, 2 months later and somewhat forgotten, the rest of them decided to pop up!

[lettice]

Peas this year did seem to have had a slow start but have been shooting up last few weeks with loads of flowers and notice last few days that they are just starting to produce. Late by about three weeks.
They seem to be the same height, my peas and mangetout through succesional sowing from March to June  reach three feet high.
Peas are Kelvin Wonder and Mangetout Kennedy.
MIne do fan out and bush as I grow them up and train them slightly over a wide pea netting against walls and fences.

[mumofstig]

Mine have finally reached their normal height but I have had to do an awful lot of watering to get them there!

[missmoneypenny]

My broad beans ( the three that germinated that is) are little stunted things. I think I’ll be lucky to get ten pods this year.

[arh]

I grew Alderman peas for the first time this year, and all the info said "anything up to 15' 0", which I took with a pinch of salt, but they have only just reached the top of my 8' canes (with at least 18" in the ground), and don't seem to want to grow any more. I just assumed that that was it, but now that others have brought this up, perhaps that's why they are only 7' 0"ish. I would like them to stay at this height, but I suspect that I may have lost a lot of flowers/peas this year.

[mumofstig]

I grew Alderman peas for the first time this year, and all the info said "anything up to 15' 0", which I took with a pinch of salt, but they have only just reached the top of my 8' canes (with at least 18" in the ground), and don't seem to want to grow any more. I just assumed that that was it, but now that others have brought this up, perhaps that's why they are only 7' 0"ish. I would like them to stay at this height, but I suspect that I may have lost a lot of flowers/peas this year.

My Alderman have only ever reached 7ft in a good year, which suits me just fine   Personally I've never heard of them growing any taller - most suppliers suggest that's about right.

[Goosegirl]

My sugar snap peas are also rather small. Um!

[upert]

My peas have grown OK yet have none of their usual sweetness and thus this year has become my annus horribilis.

I love peas. I am bereft.

[robinahood]

It's been very cold, then when the peas got going very dry, I think that would affect productivity and taste.

[arh]

Thank you for that MoS. At least I'm on the right track.