Pea Hurst Greenshaft Seeds, average packet contents 0.5kg Grower Pack seeds

General Pea Growing Tips

Position:

Your peas will require a sunny, position with well-drained but rich soil. Ideally, the ground would be dug and manured the autumn before sowing, but if you have good garden soil, a thin dressing of good garden compost just before sowing is adequate.

Sowing:

Pea Greenshaft is a variety that is best sown in the spring. For best results wait until the soil has warmed up, usually from around the middle of March - June, depending where you live. Covering the area to be sown during the early Spring will help warm up the soil, and may enable you to bring forward sowing by a couple of weeks.

Peas grow fast, and the plants will not crop all season, so it is best to make successive sowings every 4 weeks. Very early sowings of peas will benefit from protection from both the weather and mice on the look out for food - pea seeds being a favourite!

Starting Pea Seeds Indoors:To grow an early crop many people sow seeds in a length of gutter. Place in a greenhouse or cold frame. The plants can be planted out into the garden once the seedlings have established and the weather is warmer, by gently sliding the pea seedlings into it.

Sowing Direct: You will get best results from pea seeds by sowing direct into the growing position. However if you sow too early into cold or wet conditions the seeds will rot. It is best to wait a few weeks to enable the soil to warm up if direct sowing, rather than rush and lose your crop.

Sow seed in a single row 5 to 10cm (2 to 4in) apart, ensuring there is enough space for plant supports. Make a single V-shaped drill, 5cm (2in) deep, water the base of the drill and sow the peas. A second row can be added, as long as it’s 30cm (12in) away from the first drill. Backfill over the seed and water your peas well after sowing, and then leave them - except in very dry weather - until they flower, when they should have a really good soak to encourage good pod formation. Keep them weeded until well established.

Sowing in Containers: Peas can grown in containers and still give you a good crop. Fill the container with compost, broadcast sow the seed around the pot and then cover with another 5cm of soil. Make sure you keep well watered.

Growing on:

All but the most dwarf varieties will need some form of plant support. Once the plants have reached around 10cm in height and their tendrils start to reach out searching for support, place supports next to plants. This can be in the form of bamboo canes and string, pea sticks, trellis, netting, chicken wire, in fact even garden branches from spring pruned shrubs.

Harvesting:

Regular picking is essential to keep the pods young and fresh. The more you harvest, the more they will produce. Search for pods from the bottom of the plant as these will be ready to pick first. During the growing season they will need checking every few days.

Crop Rotation:

Peas are a useful part of the crop rotation plan. When the plants are finished, do not pull up the plant as the roots are full of nitrogen-fixing bacteria, simply cut off the plants at soil level, allowing the roots to rot down and release nitrogen for the next crop to use.