The one set of peas that failed was just a standard podding type called Onward.
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| Soup peas from 2017 |
I've also got two types of pea in for the HSL this year. You only get sent a few seeds so you really have to make them count. I think I got 8 of each so I'm growing each in a bucket in a separate greenhouse. You're supposed to send back what you grow each year but my plan is to grow these over two years so I have decent amount of them to send back, as this years seed can be sown heavier next year. These are Sutton's Harbringer and Blue Prussian.
I also have a few small ones in for the kids to munch one. One called Tom Thumb, which is supposed to be good for pots. I might even grow this one up on the patio in a couple of big pots, I'm sure it'll be stripped daily by them. My boy has already started picking at the leaves.
Another Small pea is Charmette which is a lovely small pea for munching. I'm yet to cook any of these any year I've grown them because they taste so good fresh. They don't grow tall at all and lie on the ground so don't need any support.
I have one growing for it's tendrils, this is a different type of pea called a Parsley Pea. I'm yet to try it even though it's 8 inches high, as it seems to be struggling to grow at the moment.
What peas do you have in this year?
What's your favourite to grow?
Have had Charmette before and found they didn't crop that long, though well-behaved and good flavour. If I can be bothered with tall sticks, I like Real Seed's 'Telephone', one of the old varieties. My favourite general purpose pea for raw eating and steaming is the brilliant yellow mangetout Golden sweet. Do 3 sowings, first for polytunnel, then 2 successive for outside. They show up well, so are easy to pick. Enormous crop but don't freeze well
ReplyDeleteYeah, I found the same with Charmette, really short cropping season but I liked that for where they were as it meant I could get another crop in straight behind them. They weren't a heavy cropper either but very tasty and the kids loved them. I'll probably save enough seed from these this year and then leave it a year or two until I try them again. Good to keep trying different sorts.
DeleteTelephone sounds good and I've nearly clicked on that one a few times, I'll add it to my list of seeds to try next year, as will I with golden sweet. The reason I like Bijou is because I don't have to be too hot on the harvesting as they don't get stringy too soon. I do like ones that show up though!
Not being nearly as adventuresome as you, the only shell peas I grow are the Lincoln variety which seem to give me wonderful flavor and a good quantity. This year I still have frozen ones left that taste as if they were fresh. Can't ask for more than that. Although, being able to grow enough soup peas would be awesome. Our season is just too short to allow them to mature and dry for that.
ReplyDeleteI don;t grow many shelling peas although every year I think I should do more of it as the kids just love shelling peas and podding beans and fight over who does the most. Maybe I should get soem lincoln ones to try next year.
DeleteAs for drying them I just let them get brown and then dry them indoors or in the car on a couple of hot days. It's too wet here to let them dry in the garden most years.