[Jock]

Something I've been wondering about.

Peas and beans (legumes) are fairly closely related. Now I know with beans you keep picking the young pods and the plants keep producing more, once you let the beans go to maturity they stop producing new pods.

What about peas?

Could I keep a pea patch producing by picking the young pods and using them as mange tout or are peas too genetically different for the same mechanism to work?

edit spelling

[Yorkie]

I remember asking this before, and if i recall correctly it doesn't make a difference to peas

[peapod]

Hate to disagree with our Yorkie, but leaving pods to mature will shorten the production time. But although I love me peas I am no expert so DD can come along and kick my beehind soon  I dont grow to save seeds I just eat them all so have never had a chance to test the theory!

You can buy specially selected varities of mange-tout/sugar snap peas..why dont you grow both peas and mange-tout (if you want both) and leave the last harvest of the pods on the peas to ripen and get your own seeds to sow next year?

[Yorkie]

(Ahem, sorry Peaqueen but it was DD I asked, about leaving the pods on the heritage peas and whether picking them regularly would increase the yield, he said not - which surprised me hence i remember it  )

[Jock]

Thanks, I've got 2 pea patches going, one is rather manky with big gaps so I might experiment with that one and let the big patch mature normally.

[peapod]

(Ahem, sorry Peaqueen but it was DD I asked, about leaving the pods on the heritage peas and whether picking them regularly would increase the yield, he said not - which surprised me hence i remember it  )

 He should know!  But picking regularly wouldnt necessarily increase it (I think) but stopping picking would stop it - if you see what I mean?  :blink: But checking everything (even Johns book) says it does stop production..the trouble is I cant bring myself to leave them on to test it  Its interesting and I may test it myself this year

Good thread Jock..youve made my mind tick (I dont think too hard often..it might be damaging  )

[Yorkie]

Yeah, I do see what you mean - I can't honestly recall whether what I wrote in the post above was actually what I asked, or whether I did in fact ask whether not picking them would stop production (getting all kerfuddled here with a headache  )

Hopefully I'm wrong and have misunderstood - would be good to know for sure

[Ice]

 

[mumofstig]

I'm sure that with mange tout the more you pick the more you get,
but with ordinary peas if you want proper peas you have to let them mature don't you? They ripen bottom pods first so you pick these and more come further up but you let these get big as well...So then they stop producing more.....you either eat them green or let them dry but you don't get any more.

[peapod]

Lol Ice Im getting that way too!

Mum, I meant ripe enough to fully fill the pod, (when they go yack and not sweet) didnt explain myself very well. Never grown mange so dont know that one
Ive now given myself a  moment (not rare to be honest  )