Follow Nick Hamilton's advice for a ready, steady supply of peas
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Peas sown in lengths of gutter slide out
into a prepared trench in the soil easily
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'Some pea varieties naturally give an extended season and my first sowing is always with a variety called 'Douce Provence'.'
By February, I have already sown some peas in the greenhouse, but don't despair if you haven't, because February to March is the time for early sowings for May to June crops. My philosophy, with regard to vegetables, is to ensure a continuous harvest by growing in stages and I go about achieving this in two ways.
Firstly, it is important to choose the right varieties, as this can naturally give an extended harvesting time by growing types that will produce their crop early, mid-season and late.
Secondly, with some vegetables, I like to stagger the sowing of each variety so that I only grow a little, but sow often. This means I don't get a glut and each batch will produce an excellent small harvest that will continue over a long period.
Pea varieties
Some pea varieties naturally give an extended season and my first sowing is always with a variety called 'Douce Provence'. It is the earliest cropper at Barnsdale, as well as being relatively frost hardy, although I always pamper the earliest sowings with either a fleece or a cloche and sometimes with both. It is easy to tell which peas are hardy and ideal for early harvest, as the pea seed will be smooth-skinned, with the less hardy, later types being wrinkled.
Other varieties, such as 'Early Onward', 'Pilot' and 'Foremost', will also produce a good early crop and can be followed with 'Greenshaft' or 'Feltham First', followed in turn by the maincrop varieties. The latter include leafless varieties, mangetout and petit pois, as well as the good old-fashioned wrinkly peas.
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| Firm in and cover with a cloche if you need extra protection
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It's important to invest in some cloches for the earliest crops (or make your own), just to give a little protection and ensure they keep growing at their maximum rate without suffering a check.
Start early types under cover
We grow our earliest types in containers started in the greenhouse, then harden off when the seedlings get to 8cm (3in) tall and plant outside under a cloche. Sow them in small pots or lengths of gutter, if using the 1.2m (4ft) bed system. Remember to drills holes in the guttering for drainage. We always start our peas in containers prior to planting out as our fieldmice ensure seed sown directly into the ground never germinates.
Once the plants are tall enough they need to be supported so that they don't fall over. Netting or lengths of twiggy sticks are ideal for this job as the plants' tendrils will grip onto the support without any assistance and hold the plants firmly in place. Some shorter varieties are self-supporting on sheltered sites.
Always harvest regularly as the pods mature so that the peas are at their sweetest. Too old and the peas become tasteless. Once the crop has been completely harvested, cut off the tops at ground level so that the roots stay in the ground. The valuable nitrogen that has built up in the roots during summer will then be available for future crops.
Look further
Nick and Sue Hamilton run
Barnsdale Gardens in Rutland, Leicestershire, formerly owned by the late Geoff Hamilton.
* Photography: Redshift Photography
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