Planting Peas in the Sun.

Planting the peas is one of my favourite Spring jobs! The bright green shoots are usually the first of the seedlings that are ready to go into the ground and it gives me a taste of summer, eating fresh peas straight from the pod. Yum! Very few peas have actually made it home, and I don’t think I’ve ever eaten them cooked, but this year I’ll have more than ever.
I’m growing two varieties, sugar snap peas and also a variety called Waverex, better known as the petite pois. I made my second sowings in 2m long light fittings that I picked up from the allotment yard last year and was surprised to find them growing quite happily and with healthy roots too, despite the shallow depth. However, I didn’t want to leave them in there to long so I planted them out on Bank Holiday Monday.

Last year’s peas (Kelvedon Wonder) were supported by two short rows of hazel sticks, as they grew less than a metre tall. The sugar snaps can grow above 6 feet tall, so this year I made a bamboo & string trellis structure for them to climb. The Waverex on the other hand will have a smaller trellis, just 1m high, so a shorter version will sit next to them. Before plating the peas, I gave the tench a good layer of manure and a generous drink once they were in. It has been very dry after all and peas love cool, moist soil! Oh I remembered to cover the peas with netting to protect them from the wood pigeons.