Peas be with you, cos I’ve got bugger all
I stumbled on this photo from last year and breathed a heavy sigh.
I did get a harvest of peas last week, but only enough to feed two concentration camp internees. Or perhaps one anorexic… on a diet.
Mind, I don’t feel so bad about the peas as I do about, say, the lousy onions. Peas are always a bugger to grow well, even in ‘good’ seasons. You’ve got the disgusting pea moth, whatever you do. And in my area, pigeons target pea plants with single-minded ruthlessness.
As I’m fond of saying (this year, at any rate): there’s always next year.
Last year I vowed I would never do peas again, but I had a bulging packet of pea seeds and couldn’t resist. And I have been punished by pigeons and pea moth. Next year I’m doing dwarf peas under enviromesh and it’s their LAST CHANCE
July 20th, 2010 at 9:53 am
Nope, no peas ever again, failed for the fourth year in a row, I had t h r e e pods out of 10 plants….
July 20th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
With your poor peas and my empty broad bean pods, we should open a shop that doesn’t sell legumes!
July 20th, 2010 at 2:21 pm
Not exactly peas, but this year I have tried ‘mange-tout’ for the first time and it’s been a total success, with no problems whatsoever with pests or disease and a very abundant crop! Definitely a must for next year.
July 20th, 2010 at 4:26 pm
I managed 1 meal and then they withered and died. At least it gives the beans a bit more room…
July 20th, 2010 at 8:51 pm
Never grown them myself and from all the comments I’ve read I’m quite glad about that!
July 20th, 2010 at 9:37 pm
I tried a competition … Kelvedon Wonder versus Lancet. The result was both got eaten by mice before germinating. I tried again and after germination and growing for a while, the results are in. They are both rubbish this year.
Last year and the year before we had such a great crop that we were able to plant and collect a second crop. I don’t know what happened this year but the peas have been worse than the onions from sets.
July 20th, 2010 at 9:38 pm
How reassuring. And I thought it was just drought that screwed mine up.
For the record: The best pea variety EVAH is Hurst Greenshaft – for those who’ve yet to try peas. People who think another variety is best are, of course, wrong.
July 21st, 2010 at 8:26 am
my peas are terrible this year too…in fact I have totally given up on even picking the seeds…I am thinking about putting in a late harvest to see if that does any better as I have really missed them this year…an allotment neighbour of mine has grown peas with purple pods and they seem to be the only ones on the plot that are doing any good!!
Like you say SM…there’s always next year.
July 22nd, 2010 at 7:22 am
For me, you can’t beat Alderman, forget Hurst Greenshaft. Alderman grows 5 feet tall and I’m drowning in peas year after year. Don’t know why anyone grows piddling little peas.
July 23rd, 2010 at 9:27 pm
I had enough peas this year to feed my ravenous (but anti-vegetarian) teenage son one very nice serving. He ate them fast and no complaints, so I imagine they were delectable. My own personal garden chipmunk ate the rest of my peas – uninvited.
Why do we keep growing peas?
Alderman is great. I’ve tried to grow this variety about 3 years now.
Looking forward to next year’s harvest. Cheers!
July 24th, 2010 at 2:04 am
well i only grow mange tout style peas and always a sucees.True peas take up too much space for the final result.keep going Soilman i had a a couple of years of failure on my tiny veg olt but this year has so far been good.
July 26th, 2010 at 10:04 pm
Alderman for me too , thousands of them for weeks , watered every day bless them , no point in little peas as Ruth says , always grow Alderman , sometimes grow Telephone too , another tall pea, easy peasy [pun intended]
July 29th, 2010 at 7:13 pm
Having read all your comments whilst reeling from my disasterous crop of peas this year i have decided to grow “mange tout” next season, fingers crossed they do better!! keep up the good work soilman!
July 31st, 2010 at 6:48 pm