[bobbyt]

I know DD has a lot of stuff on here, but need to ask, I'm going to grow KW peas, do you have to 'train' the peas to grow on to the string in DD's post, or do they just naturally grab on. Thanks.

[Subversive_plot]

I only grow what you call mangetout (we call them snow peas or snap peas, depending...).

I am assuming KW peas (field peas? Someone set me straight if that's wrong) will vegetatively be just like snow peas.  They will climb up once the tendrils touch something they can latch on to. I usually put in my strong support up, sow peas (or plant seedlings) next to it, and place a very  loose thicket of twiggy branches over them. The peas latch on and up they go.

[Aunt Sally]

We grow Kelvendon Wonder. They grow to about 3-4 ft high and we train them up ridged plastic mesh, but you can use pea sticks. They are self clinging but you have to keep an eye on them to make sure they know where to cling. 

[bobbyt]

Thanks. Do you then cover then with protection netting? If so, isn't it awkward to harvest them, as they'll cling to the netting too?

[Aunt Sally]

Yes we do cover them with netting as the pigeons love the tender shoots.  If you can support the netting off of the peas it makes life easier, and stops the peas clinging onto it.

(Pictures are not in chronological order)

[steven c]

we are trying kelvedon  wonder for the first time [we usually grow alderman great crop but late enough for pea moth damage] hoping to crop before pea moth. we have started them in greenhouse in modules, we may try alderman as a later crop after moth??.

[bobbyt]

 Aunt Sally, that's quite a lot of netting, think I'll do a mini version of that. Thanks for the pics.

[Aunt Sally]

We grow a lot of peas. And after the peas are finished we put in brassicas.  Pigeons are a big problem here. and there’s nothing they like better tang tender pea shoots and brassica tips.  The netting has to be high enough for me to walk in.  If it touches the crops the pigeons will have’ em.

And it does last for years and years.  We just move it about a bit 

[rowlandwells]

we tend to grow quite a few rows of peas in the season starting them of in the greenhouse first and when we plant out we grow them up chicken wire and net round the rows and top as we to have a pigeon problem we grow Hurst Greenshaft and onward

[Snow]

Chicken wire for me too, mainly mange tout and sugar snaps, although I like the big maincrop peas too