May Queen Pea

£2.60

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This tasty and productive pea grows fairly tall – around 1.5 m and so will need strong support to grow well. It is a particularly early round seeded variety and can be sown from early March until mid May. The pretty white flowers with green veining will grow into pods full of sweet tasty peas.

These peas can be sown direct outdoors in rows about 2-3cm deep however I have trouble with voles and mice in my garden so start my peas in old guttering so I can hang them from the greenhouse struts and they won’t be eaten. Seeds sown about 6 cm apart in the guttering and then covered. Place a pot at either end to stop the compost falling out. I use peat free compost with about a third added Pearlite to open up the compost. When germinated, grown on and harden off, then firmly knock the guttering lengthways to release the roots and the whole strip of peas can be slid out into a small trench in the garden.

Approx. 70 seeds per pack.

Botanical name: Pisum sativum

Grown by: Maggie Carr

Dwarf Peas

For a really early crop in spring, some peas can be sown in Oct-Nov. Otherwise they can be sown from Mar-Apr for Summer/Autumn harvest. Direct sow into the ground at about 2.5cm depth and around 4cm between seeds in lines 45cm apart. Thin if necessary when they germinate. Dwarf Peas can be grown without supports as they only grow around 50 cm tall but some twiggy prunings can help keep the peas off the ground.

Climbing Peas

These include Garden Peas, Sugarsnaps and Mangetout as well as drying peas.

Sow March-April under cover in root-trainers, pots or lengths of guttering. Harden off and plant out into fertile soil once 10cm+ (4”) tall. Plants grown in guttering need a firm lengthways knock to loosen the roots from the gutter and then they can then be slid directly into a shallow trench. Can also be sown direct if protected from mice. Soak seed in water for several hours prior to sowing. Spacing: 7-10cm (3-4”) between plants and 30-40cm (12-16”) between rows.

Unlike smaller bush varieties, these climbing varieties grow between 1.5 and 2m (6ft) and will require sturdy supports like chicken wire or pea netting.

In terms of sowing, peas come in two main types, smooth and wrinkled (this refers to the shape of the dried pea, so it’s quite easy to tell the difference). Smooth types are hardier, so are better if you want to do a really early sowing. Wrinkled tend to be sweeter, but you’ll need to wait till the weather gets a bit warmer before you sow, or they’ll probably just rot. Peas can also vary in height, from around 18” to nearly 8ft tall!

You can sow them outdoors instead if you like, but you’ll need to wait until the soil warms up, and it’s not too wet, or the seed won’t germinate and will rot. There’s also a high risk of rodents eating them, so if you’re able too, sowing indoors is probably going to be more successful. Either way, dig in plenty of organic matter initially, and water regularly throughout the season.