[Spr0ut]

My observations this year have been that my tall peas have reached a good 7 to 8 feet, but the first 3 to 4 feet are all stem and leaves and the crop is in the upper 3 to 4 feet.

My shorter varieties have pods forming from near ground level all the way up the 3 to 4 feet of height and seem to be carrying a heavier yield.

If that's the case I could save a whole lot of money not having to buy in a taller structure and easier for a shorty like me to harvest without standing on a box and easier to see where the pods are as you are looking down through the plants rather than upward.

Tall varieties: Champion of England and Serpette Guilloteaux
Short varieties: Ambassador

[AnneB]

I would wait to the end of the season before coming to conclusions.   I have grown tall and short peas for the last 3 years and have had better yields from the tall peas.   I have grown Sutton's Purple Podded, Champion of England, Ne Plus Ultra and Lord Leicester in that time.  Their season seems to last longer than the shorter peas and they fill out very well as the season progresses.   That's not to say that short peas are unproductive.   I have had good yields from Hatif d'Annonay and this year I am growing Stokesley for the first time and it is shaping up really well and isn't that short!  I'd always grow the tall peas though.

[Spr0ut]

Thanks Anne

The tall one I really liked but couldn't find space for this year was Hurst Greenshaft. Dark green pods, prolific yield and about 10 peas to each pod. Very sweet. I would grow that one again.

[AnneB]

Some of my plot neighbours grow Hurst Greenshaft very successfully.   I wouldn't say it was a tall pea,  more a biggish medium, if you know what I mean.   Around 4'6" - 5'0".

[DD.]

I have grown Hurst Greenshaft quite a few times. It should only be half that height! At 5' a full length row (I'm talking about 30'+) would tak a bit of supporting!

[AnneB]

I don't know what my neighbours are doing with theirs then DD.  They have 1.5 rows, all from saved seed mind you, and they are definitely the same height as me, which is exactly 5' 0"!  They are absolutely laden with pods too.   I will try and get a picture when I next go up, probably Friday.

It is very odd on our site this year.   My peas,  Sutton's Purple Podded (saved seed), Lord Leicester, Stokesley and Hatif d'Annonay (saved seed) are all doing really well and look wonderful, as do my neighbour's peas mentioned above.  He is at the other end of the site.  However, everybody else who is growing peas this year has spindly little efforts that have all been attacked by something intent of stripping out most of the leaves.    Not pea and bean weevil either. 

[Annen]

I grew Hurst Greenshaft last year and they grew to about 4 to 4.5 feet high.

[Salmo]

One solution to the tall pea problem would be to layer them like the sweet pea growers. One pea per cane, when they get to about 4ft untie each pea and lie them down. Then tie the top of each one to a new cane. At the ends you go round to the other side. Must be careful not to kink the stems.

Scroll to the very bottom of this site to see how it is done

http://tonythegardener.blogspot.co.uk/p/how-i-grow-exhibition-sweet-peas.html

I have never grown tall peas. Do pigeons still take the pods? If so how do you protect them?

Hurst green shaft are not tall peas. Listed at 30 inches on the packet. Anything taller has had too much nitrogen. Keep in mind when growing peas and beans that the aim is flowers and pods and not leaves.

[polly nator]

I've grown a number of different climbing tall peas( around 7')  over the last couple of years  from seed bought at Ryton Organic Garden but to be honest I am getting better yields from some anonymous mangetout and  petit pois seedlings bought from Wyevale Nurseries this year.
I do like to see the tall peas though, especially if you get varieties with different coloured fflower

[AnneB]

Salmo, may be I am lucky, but pigeons leave our peas alone, tall and short, on our site.   

Also, hear what you say about too much nitrogen leading to leafy growth, but my neighbour's Hurst Greenshaft peas are completely laden with flowers and pods and are 5' tall.    Not sure how they have done it.

[Spr0ut]

Yes - my Hurst Greenshaft were around 5ft tall last year.