When can I sow peas in the UK?

March to July outdoors; February to early March in modules under glass or in a cold frame. Earlier sowings give earlier crops but are slug- and pigeon-vulnerable. Round-seeded cultivars (Meteor, Feltham First) are hardier for very early sowings; wrinkle-seeded cultivars (Hurst Greenshaft, Kelvedon Wonder) are sweeter but want warmer soil.

What's the difference between shelling peas, mangetout and sugar snap?

Shelling peas (Hurst Greenshaft, Kelvedon Wonder): pick when the pods are bulging; shell out the peas, discard the pod. Classic garden pea. Mangetout (Oregon Sugar Pod, Carouby de Maussane): pick when the pods are flat and barely-developed peas inside; eat the whole pod. Sugar snap (Sugar Ann, Cascadia): pick when the pods are full and crisp; eat the whole pod, peas and all. Sugar snap is the sweetest fresh from the plant.

How do I stop pigeons eating my pea seedlings?

Net the row from sowing until plants are 30 cm tall. Bird netting on hoops works best; pigeons can't reach through 5 cm mesh. Don't use fine fleece — pea tendrils tangle in it and get torn off when you remove the netting. After 30 cm, the plants are big enough to handle modest peck damage.

My peas have maggots in the pods — what's wrong?

Pea moth (Cydia nigricana). Adults lay eggs on flowers in June and July; larvae develop inside pods. Net the flowering row with fine enviromesh, or grow early (March-sown) and late (July-sown) crops that flower outside the moth's main flight period. Pheromone traps from late May give an early warning.

How long do pea plants crop for?

3–4 weeks of picking from each sowing. That's why successional sowings every 3 weeks matter — they spread the harvest from June to September. After a plant has finished cropping, cut it off at the base and leave the roots in the soil (they fix nitrogen as they decompose, feeding the next crop).

Can I grow peas in containers in the UK?

Yes — dwarf cultivars (Half Pint, Tom Thumb) reach only 25 cm and crop happily in 30-litre containers without staking. Sugar snap varieties (Sugar Ann) in larger containers with a small wigwam also work. Water container peas daily in summer.

Erbse

Pisum sativum

Sow pea seed direct from March to July in successional batches every three weeks, or start in modules under cloches from February. Peas are hardy (RHS H4–H5) and young plants tolerate light frost. Choose shelling peas (Hurst Greenshaft, Kelvedon Wonder) for traditional cropping, mangetout (Oregon Sugar Pod) for flat edible pods, or sugar snap (Sugar Ann) for sweet whole pods. Sow 2–3 seeds per station, 5 cm deep, in double rows; provide pea sticks or netting from 30 cm. Pigeons strip seedlings — net the row until the plants are 30 cm tall. Pea moth lays in flowers from June; net the flowering row or accept a few maggots in early pods. Pick young and often for the sweetest peas.

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