Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: Yorkie on February 14, 2008, 18:50

Title: Pea varieties
Post by: Yorkie on February 14, 2008, 18:50
Hi all

I've not grown peas before.

My allotment association is selling pea seeds of varieties Early Onward, and Feltham First (I think).

Does anyone know if these are big marrow-fat type peas, or smaller and sweeter types?  I'm not keen on the larger, floury peas.

Ta muchly
Title: Pea varieties
Post by: Rob the rake on February 15, 2008, 00:50
Early Onward are a great pea, although they're the large-seeded type. Full-flavoured, sweet and a prolific cropper.

For later sowings, Hurst Greenshaft and Kelvedon Wonder are hard to beat. These are the ones you are craving, with that awesome "garden pea" taste and sweetness. :wink:
Title: Pea varieties
Post by: paintedlady on February 15, 2008, 08:53
Kelvedon Wonder & Hurst Greenshaft - I agree they are excellent.  I have to admit to shifting my preference to the H Greenshaft simply because it was a larger pod so got more peas for the effort :lol:  

I sowed both types in batches together - from the first batch, the Kelvedon produced peas slightly earlier than the other but once summer got underway and all the batches were catching up and producing, it didn't make any difference.
Title: Pea varieties
Post by: CHRISDONOHUE on February 15, 2008, 13:42
I agree with Kelvedon Wonder and Hurst Green Shaft.   Little Marvel (Suttons) has a wonderful flavour.   My experience of Feltham First is that its earliness does not compensate for its lack of flavour.
Title: Pea varieties
Post by: Yorkie on February 15, 2008, 17:39
Thanks all,

Would you  grow both Hurst Green Shaft and Kelvedon Wonder, or choose just one of these varieties?  I'd like to have a longer cropping period than simply one variety will provide.

I do still have to put in my order for seeds this year, so that's a job for the weekend...
Title: Pea varieties
Post by: flowerlady on February 15, 2008, 17:47
I have:

Meteor in the ground now
Canoe going in ... these have few leaves loads of tendrills and taste scrummy!

Didn't like Felthams poor flavour
Hurst Green Shaft I grew last year ... great flavour ... I pick peas very young.

Mange Tout ... Sugar Crystal
    "        "   ... Carouby de Maussane - very wide pods 4" long :D
Title: Pea varieties
Post by: Jerry on February 15, 2008, 23:27
Early Onward and Hurst Greenshaft are fine. I do agree with Canoe and Meteor, also try Twinkle and Waverex for "petit pois" both tasty and reliable. I find Greensage and Lincoln are fine standard peas too.
Title: Pea varieties
Post by: paintedlady on February 18, 2008, 09:29
Quote from: "Yorkie1"

Would you  grow both Hurst Green Shaft and Kelvedon Wonder, or choose just one of these varieties?  I'd like to have a longer cropping period than simply one variety will provide.


By all means grow them both, but you need to do batches every 2-3 weeks to extend the season.  If you plant them all in one go, you'll have one helluva big glut some time in June and then nothing at all afterwards!

For picking and cooking on the day, I planted 20 seeds of both varieties roughly every 3 weeks (sowed them at home until they had germinated & hardened off before taking to the allotment) and got 5 batches out in total.  I was a bit disappointed by the last batch as I got a mould which covered plants & pods but it was at the end of the season (August/September) and at that time of year they were more in shade than sun.

This year I also want to freeze a load so I'll be doing much bigger batches.
Title: Pea varieties
Post by: Yorkie on February 24, 2008, 15:18
Okay,

Well having been overwhelmed with the choice of varieties kindly suggested, I now have some Hurst Green Shaft pea seeds (they'd arrived at the association hut) and am spending time this afternoon making some (lots?) of Richy's paper pots.  (I'm still making my mind up about the second variety... perhaps Twinkle... or Meteor... or Little Marvel ... or ... or .... nooooooooo!!! too much choice :roll: )

The chap at the hut suggested it might be worth planting 2-3 seeds per pot (it's quite a big old can which I'm using) and then planting them out in bunches.  Does that sound ok?  I assume in that case, I should space them a bit further apart than the usual 2" per individual plant.

Once I've sowed my seeds into the pots, will they be hardy enough to go straight out into a mini greenhouse in the back yard, or do I need to tell them to share the dining table with the chitting spuds?

Thanks muchly  :)