How to grow peas from seed

The effort that this crop demands will yield a good return. March is the time for sowing first and second earlies (until the beginning of June). Try varieties such as 'Kelvedon Wonder', 'Early Onward' or 'Misty'. They should be ready for picking in three and three and a half months' time respectively. Maincrop varieties started now will take around four months. Avoid sowing peas in cold, wet ground and check the pH level with a tester kit (available from garden centres) - if it's too acid, you will need to 'lime it' to make it more alkaline.

Choose a sunny spot in well-drained and -mulched soil that will retain moisture necessary for germination. Dig a flat-bottomed trench that is around 15cm wide and 5cm deep. Place twigs alongside each sowing, which should be 8cm apart, to help support the seedlings once tall enough. For a second row, check the seed packet for the cultivar's expected height and sow the same distance away in another trench. 

As the usually white (there are some cultivars with pink or lilac blooms) flowers die and pods develop, keep an eye out for signs of pea moth - look for the female's eggs. Alternatively, cover your patch with fine mesh and you can deter the pest.

Pick the pods when plump and green before they begin to dry. Enjoy the peas as soon as possible before the sugars turn to starch. Beginner gardeners may wish to start with the easier mange tout such as ‘Oregon Sugar Pod' or sugar snaps including ‘Sugar Ann'.

Where to buy pea seeds

Duchy Originals
Jungle Seeds
Marshalls Seeds
Nicky's Nursery
Organic Gardening Catalogue
Seeds of Italy
Simpson's Seeds
Suttons Seeds
Thompson & Morgan
Unwins

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