[xqbgal]

Has anyone had problems with the consistency of this variety this year? I have been growing Alderman for a few years but this is the first year I have used Unwins and although some plants have produced the usual long, dark green pods, the majority are a midge modge of pods of different shape, size and colour. The only similarity as that all plants have grown to about 7ft. Could it be possible that there has been some cross pollination in the production of these seeds?
I would appreciate your comments please.

[Knulpuk]

We have grown Alderman this year and they have been very successful, growing consistently and to a height of about 6 ft, and heavily cropped.

Ours were from Dobies.

Whether we just lucky in planting where and when we did I am not sure. Last we we had a v poor crop by planting direct this year all peas were started in pots and transplanted to the final bed - given the crop we will take this approach again next year.

[vron]

Hi everyone, have been reading the posts on climbing peas. (Alderman)

We have grown them for the first time this year and we have been very disapointed with them so far.  

We grew them up 2 A-frames, each cane aprox 1' apart and 18 canes per A-frame.

We sowed (direct) 3 peas per cane and 1 pea between each cane, making aprox 70 peas per A-frame, but only about 50-60% actually grew.  :cry:

We re-sowed all the missed areas, not once but twice and still most failed.

And no I did not check beneath the missed areas to see what might be going on, never thought about it?  :oops:

They were planted the same way as we do our other peas (kelvedon wonder) which are growing very well, except for the A-frames of course.

We staggered the A-frame planting to give us a longer cropping season.

They were surrounded with fleece for protection from the earlier colder weather that we had been getting, until they were about 1'-18" high.

And they have been given chicken pellets as they grew.

They are now about 6' tall have started flowering and peas are swelling on the vines.

Some of the plants have gone very pale in colour, so gave then a boost of rose fertiliser.

I read somewhere this would benefit them, can't remember why, maybe its for the extra potassium or something.   :oops:  

We are now waiting to pick the first of the peas to see what they are like, hope they taste better than they grew.

We had exactly the same problem with the ones sown at home in a very big re-cycling tub.

We sowed 13 in the tub and again only 50-60% grew, the misses were re-sown but there was little new growth from them.

They are about 5' tall and and have started flowering and producing peas.

They were treated the same as the ones on the lotte, surrounded by fleece for protection.

Wonder whether the weather is to blame!! its not mice, no damage to the fleece and no signs of burrowing or holes anywhere.

I'm flummaxed as to where we have gone wrong, it could be the seed peas of course, but will wait and see.

We have given some of them to 2 other fellow lotte holders and my son to grow, will see how theirs go/grow.

Ours were from Victoriana