[cadalot]

Ok I tried peas really late last year and managed to get enough for one meal, this year I want to grow a few different varieties and I managed to pick up ...Ummm a few too many packs in the Wyevale seed sale.

What gets me is the lack of basic information on the backs of packs!

Below is the information I have extracted from the packs, and you can see the gaps in information. Had I not looked I would never have known that the Champion of England pea grow up to 10ft or 3m High. Twiggy sticks means how long

How long is a piece of string (twiggy stick comes to mind)

Can anyone fill in the missing information before I go searching the internet?

[surbie100]

Nope sorry - I struggle with pea height info too.

As an aside, Sementi is Italian for seeds, so the Franchi peas will have a different name on the packet somewhere.

[cadalot]

It has to be said that pack was the strangest to try extract information from 

I must admit after see the Big Allotment Challenge where they were showing peas and length was measured and the peas per pod were counted you would have thought that basic information would be on there.

And why is the distance between 300mm for Hurst Greenshaft and 900mm for PeeWee65 when all the others are 600mm ?   

[surbie100]

I've got fairly used to them - given they are selling seeds to a very wide audience and not just the UK, the zones by colours and the roman numerals for months are quite handy. It is fairly minimalist but then my Italian family chucks things in the ground when they think the time is right and don't look at the packet anyway. Local climate varies hugely in Italy.

[mumofstig]

For short peas, I don't think you can better DD's set up
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=50902.msg602767#msg602767

for tall peas, I grow mine on netting tied to canes, like this  (the middle row of canes)


I leave about 3ft between pea rows, the tall ones sometimes hold hands across the rows though. Makes picking a laugh 

[sunshineband]

Like MoS, I grow peas up canes with netting now, with an extra cane either side at the ends of the row as buttresses. (MoS has something handy to tie hers to I notice) I did used DD's method of a long rectangle of stakes with string  tied around, which worked well (but of course  ) but found the pigeons used the top as a feeding station and the tops were all eaten out 

The eventual height of the peas determines the length of the canes of course, and Champion of England will have ten foot canes.

I start my seeds off three of four to a module (3 ins modules) and keep them in the unheated grow-house until they are about four inches tall, then plant each clump out around six inches apart. This stops the voles from feasting on the seeds before they germinate. I stick in a row of old raspberry canes in front of the plants to reduce pigeon access, criss-crossing them anyoldhow; this seems to work and is cheap too 

Here, they get planted out late March to early April if the ground is warm enough, after being further hardened off to the outside world. I know it is a faff, but it work for me and I get masses of peas, rather then the voles and pigeons being the main benefactors 

[mumofstig]

Like DD I sow mine in the soil but cover the trench with a strip of polysheeting, weighted down, til they're up 

I assume that If I'm planting 10-12 seeds per foot run that enough will grow.

remember the old saying.............

One for the rook, one for the crow, one to whither and one to grow 

[sunshineband]

Like DD I sow mine in the soil but cover the trench with a strip of polysheeting, weighted down, til they're up 

I assume that If I'm planting 10-12 seeds per foot run that enough will grow.

remember the old saying.............

One for the rook, one for the crow, one to whither and one to grow 

There would have to be fold out sections on packets to accommodate all our various and varied info, wouldn't there? 

[ryetek]

Like DD I sow mine in the soil but cover the trench with a strip of polysheeting, weighted down, til they're up 

Is the purpose of the polysheeting just to keep the soil warm MoS or does it prevent mice etc? Or both I guess?

[mumofstig]

I think it's birds that take the seeds here, rather than meeces - but I suppose it keeps them cosy as well 

the seeds, that is 

[ryetek]

I should have read between the lines there MoS after reading your old saying. I've never heard that before.  Thank you.

And why is the distance between 300mm for Hurst Greenshaft and 900mm for PeeWee65 when all the others are 600mm ?   

We normally grow Ambassdor and Hurst Green Shaft and normally leave around 3ft between the row as others have said. I have read somewhere (possibly on here) that you should leave the same distance betweens rows as the height of the plants. This would only work however if you could determine the suggested height of the plants in the first place. 

[mumofstig]

I think the confusion arises because some people, rather than sow a wide row within a trench, sow single rows either side of their sticks/netting ie a double row about 12is apart.
trench sown peas

double row peas

[cadalot]

Great thread lots of useful information and pictures of support systems.

Sorry DD if you are reading this I know you are a Pea God, but I'm thinking of using Katie's Pea support system from Lavender and Leeks, see photos below

I've also searched for the missing info on the internet and have updated the spread sheet 

[DD.]

If you think that I'm faffing about with that system for 200 feet of peas - think again! It looks over-kill for even short runs!

It's also relying on peas climbing up the strings. Peas are not good climbers and many varieties need support - hence the need for close together twigs or horizontal strings.

[mumofstig]

Not very clear, does she have netting up those canes?

They won't grow up smooth canes, like beans do, that's why they say twigs! - you'll still need to tie them up along the rows as they grow, or they'll flop all over the place 


snap!