Self-Sufficient.co.uk
Find out more about Self Sufficiency
Site Search
Main Menu
Top Products
Fruit TreesPolytunnel
Water Butts
Strimmer
Shed
Greenhouse
Porous Pipe
Latest Articles
Allotment Gardening
Grow all you can eat on your own allotment.
grow your own
20:32, 10th May 2014
Smallholding for Sale in North Devon
Three bedroom detached house in 18 acres for sale - North Devon, UK
smallholding
20:48, 17th Mar 2013
Nettles
Find out more about nettles - how to benefit from them and how to get rid of them
foraging
16:12, 13th Apr 2012
Making Nettle Beer
Find out how to make your nettle beer
recipes
16:10, 13th Apr 2012
How to Make Sloe Gin
Find out how to make your own sloe gin
recipes
14:40, 13th Apr 2012
Grow Your Own Chilli Peppers
Find out how to grow your own chilli peppers
grow your own
13:33, 16th Mar 2012
Home Beekeeping
Find out more about keeping bees in your garden for honey
grow your own
15:40, 4th Jan 2012
Storing Apples
Find out how to store apples
fruits
13:23, 28th Jul 2011
Growing Peas
Find out more about growing delicious peas
Growing Peas
vegetables | grow your own
No vegetable patch should be without peas. When peas are picked they immediately start degrading, so that within an hour they already lost much of their sweetness and flavour. Even top chefs often use frozen peas in their recipes as the taste of a pea frozen within a couple of hours of picking is better than that of the fresh peas available at market. However nothing can top the flavour of a home grown pea picked and immediately eaten straight from the pod.
Growing Peas
Peas are perfectly suited to the British climate preferring regular rainfall and temperatures below 20 degrees Celcius. They prefer a sunny spot, but will still grow well in partial shade. Peas prefer to grow in well-dug soil (as their roots grow deeply) with plenty of compost or other organic material mixing in.
As legumes, peas take in nitrogen from the air (rather than from the soil) and actually store it in nodules which grow on their roots (see image above). If you try to grow peas on soil which is already nitrogen-rich, the plants will grow lots of leaves, but not many peas - therefore never add nitrogen fertiliser to the soil around peas.
Planting Peas
Peas need between 12 and 15 weeks between sowing and harvesting, with the first peas ready to eat in June. By planting different varieties between March and June, it is possible to have a continuous supply of delicious peas from June to October.
Peas can either be planted in small compost filled pots or, in a length of drainpipe (so they can easily be slid into their final growing bed later), or directly planted in the ground in the summer. Sow the seeds 1 inch deep and 2 inches apart. To increase the successful germination rate, soak the pea seeds in water for a few hours before planting. Seedlings should appear within a couple of weeks.
Peas need something to climb up, but there is no need to spend money on expensive trellising etc. Instead just stab some 3 foot long twigs into the ground along side the peas and the peas will hold onto them happily. If you construct a twig wigwam over each group of three or four seeds it will act as an excellent climbing frame and protect the seedlings from hungry birds (see image above). If you have many pea plants, then garden canes with string tied between them will act as an excellent trellis on which the peas will climb.
Harvesting Peas
Young peas are much sweeter and more delicious than old peas, so pick peas from plants as soon as they are ready. Start at the bottom of the plant and work you way up as the days and weeks go by. The more often peas are harvested from a plant, the more peas the plant will eventually produce.
When your pea plants have finished cropping, throw the leafy stems onto the compost heap, but dig in the roots. This will set nitrogen in the soil ready to feed the vegetables to be planted in next year's rotation (typically brassicas or potatoes).
Article Published: 16:16, 18th Jul 2008
Related Articles
Fighting Slugs
Find out how to protect your crops from slugs
Article Published: 10:20, 18th Jul 2008
vegetables | grow your own
Carrot Fly
Understand carrot fly and how to protect your crops from them
Article Published: 10:13, 5th Jul 2008
vegetables | grow your own
Container Vegetable Garden
Grow vegetables in Containers
Article Published: 03:37, 20th Apr 2006
vegetables | grow your own
Your Vegetable Plot
Find out more about the ideal vegetable plot
Article Published: 13:12, 8th Jul 2008
vegetables | grow your own
Grow Potatoes in Containers
Find out how to grow potatoes in the smallest garden
Article Published: 11:51, 5th Jul 2008
vegetables | grow your own
Crop Rotation
Find out more about the importance of crop rotation
Article Published: 09:08, 5th Jul 2008
grow your own | vegetables
Potato Clamp Storing Potatoes
Store potatoes (and other vegetables) over winter with a potato clamp
Article Published: 15:05, 7th Jul 2008
preserving | vegetables | grow your own
Growing Rhubarb
Find out how to grow and care for rhubarb
Article Published: 14:59, 15th Jul 2008
grow your own | vegetables
Make Caramelised Onion Chutney
Make a delicious caramelised onion chutney
Article Published: 08:33, 22nd May 2010
preserving | vegetables | grow your own | recipes
Growing Shallots
Find out how to grow your own shallots
Article Published: 08:06, 12th Jul 2008
grow your own | vegetables