[Judypumpkin]

Why are some of my mange tout plants going brown and shriveling up while others are doing well? Any ideas or advice?

[Yorkie]

Are they all together in the same bed?  What size are the plants?  Have you had any crop from them?

Any chance of a photo?

[Judypumpkin]

Thanks for your reply. There are 2 different varieties in 2 different rows, in the same garden. The same thing has happened with both varieties. The tallest plant is about 3 feet tall but others are less than a foot. I have had some crop but not a great deal.
I am a complete beginner so I could be doing it all wrong!

[mumofstig]

I think it's just down to the hot dry weather we had earlier this year (remember that - seems a distant memory this week  )
The plants that managed to put down deep roots have coped better than those that, for some reason (slugs bugs?) didn't. It's not been a good year for peas, generally tbh.
Better luck next year!

[CHRISDONOHUE]

It is not because you are a beginner.   The problem is one of an extremely dry summer.   Peas need a great deal of water to grow well and do best if sown on top of a bed of water-holding compost or manure, a little similar to runner beans for which many people supply a "runner bean trench".   If this is not provided, you are reliant on the ability of the soil to retain the water with which you have presumably irrigated your peas.   If the soil is lacking in humus, the water will drain away quickly or evaporate quickly and not be retained sufficiently for the peas to benefit from it.   The recent spate of extremely dry summers has made growing Spring-sown peas difficult.
Unbeknown to you previously, the soils possess very different water-retaining characteristics.  If the spate of very dry summers continue it will be almost "de rigour" to treat peas similar to runner beans and also spread a mulch on top of the soil to reduce evaporation.