[Lazy Daisy]

Hi I'm back about peas this time. My plot is quite small (11' x 6')and I wonder if peas are worth the space they take up, I have put Hurst Green Shaft in damp compost in a plastic bag to germinate and was going to plant out 3 drills, 6" apart across the breadth with shrub prunings as supports. I am not too sure though that the space and effort would be worth the yield. I can probably grow more of other veg I am hoping to do ?? What do you think ??

[DD.]

I reluctant as I am to say it, you may not have the space & 6" between rows is certainly no where near enough. The recommended spacing is as high as the plants grow, so even with dwarf varieties this should be at least 18".

Have have 7 rows in so far & they are taking up 26' x 15'

I won't bore folk with more repeats of my piccies!

[matron]

I suppose you have to decide how much you like peas. I personally think that they take up a lot of space for the yield but my OH, PeaPod and DD would disagree  .

[DD.]

I don't actually - but I'm fortunate to have the space to squander!

[matron]

I don't actually - but I'm fortunate to have the space to squander!

I have to give up space as well for OH to grow his peas. We had 5 rows at 10 foot long and did just about get adequate amounts.
What varieties do you use DD? I had a different variety per row but I wonder if just doing one or two would be better.

[DD.]

My "staple" is Kelvedon Wonder - the ones you see in all my piccies, but this year they are outnumbered by two different heritage peas. If these are sucessful & tasty, I may no longer be buying pea seed!

[Lazy Daisy]

I think peas are a no no till I realise my dream and get an allotment (yea in my dreams)

[Oliver]

I think peas are a no no till I realise my dream and get an allotment (yea in my dreams)

I agree - peas are a waste of time and space - pigeons love them, lodgers love them too. Grow some stuff you can't buy cheaply in the store.
O

[peapod]

Dont know where you are Oliver but fresh peas (in the pods) are getting more and more expensive and worse and worse quality, so the amount I eat cost me a fortune!

If you net them peas cant be eaten by the pigeons, and if you hide them then they cant be eaten by the lodger either!
They do take a lot of space, but are great for kids to grow (they got me into growing my own, I always wanted to grow them when I was a kid)
Ive got a lotty so have set aside 2 bed spaces of 5ftx14ft each for them. If I could get another lotty just for them I would! But its worth shoving a few in a pot just for that fresh taste once a year!

[Ivor Backache]

When you have a small garden then you need to focus on management of space. If you sow 3 rows of peas they will compete for the light etc, all picked together which you have to freeze so you might as well buy frozen in the first place.
Sow your peas at home in meter lengths of square guttering. Two side by side and when germinated wash into a prepared trench. Week or two later germinate another meter length and so on. The unused pea space can be used for catch crops, few lettuce, spring onion or raddich. When the first meter is ready, pick the crop and make the space available for your brassicas which you will have sown and brought on in pots. As you eat through the rows of peas the land in reused.
Peas are a legume which fix nitrigen into the soil and are essential to crop rotation.
The taste of fresh picked peas will always make them worth it.

[wellingtons]

I love fresh peas, and I do grow them but they don't do particularly well on my plot for some reason.

I think in your case it depends on how much you love fresh peas.  If space is limited I do think it's a good idea to grow things that you absolutely love.  Or grow stuff because it's fun.  But if you restrict the spacing to 6 inches you will reduce the crop ... I think!

But then again, try it ... if you love peas and you've started the seeds, go for it!

[tam]

How about mange touts? Because you eat the whole pod I think you get more for the space.

[andreadon]

why not grow them along the edge of the garden? use the fence as a support....
then you don't need to worry about row spacing, because you'll only have one row!

[DD.]

A 6" spacing will be no good at all, (just to make it clear ), as one row of peas will grow 12"-18" in width!

[GrannieAnnie]

We love peas, but usually I grow Alderman which climb up my canes like the runner beans.  They grow to 6ft tallish, so we get more from the area.  However this year I also have sugar snap and 2 of DD's heritages pea to try, so will take up a lot more room.