Topic: Growing peas in raised beds

[petemason]

I've always sown peas in the ground in a long row and supported them with wire etc but I'm moving towards a raised bed system and wondered how I should approach growing peas in the beds I've made. They measure roughly 40" x 48".



The packet (Kelvedon Wonder) says sow in rows 24" apart but if I do that I'm going to waste a fair amount of space. Any ideas please?

[Robert_Brenchley]

You'll need space between the rows otherwise you won't be able to get at the peas to pick them.

[supersprout]

hello pete, lovely beds and lucky peas :o :o

I am still experimenting with peas in my beds and might try different methods this year. Robert is right, you have to imagine harvesting and work backwards.

The 'normal' way is still a matter of preference between v-shape and wide trench. Beds offer a 'third way' of growing in blocks.

Can you reach to the middle of your beds to harvest? If so, try planting equidistantly @3" apart, using chicken wire as a grid. I am going to do this along a whole bed (1m wide, 4m long), doing 1m at a time, 3 weeks apart, to get a succession of peas throughout the year. I don't plan to leave a space between 1m blocks, and will See What Happens. The peas should support each other. I usually grow Kelvedon Wonder (short) and will also try Endeavour for the first time this year, recommended specifically for growing in blocks by Kitchen Garden mag this month.

The disadvantage is that it will be impossible to hoe, only hand weed, when they are planted close. So two weeks before sowing I will prepare the bed, then hoe it again a couple of days before sowing the peas. In theory this will allow annual weeds to come to the surface and sprout, then be killed by the hoeing. I think this is called a 'stale seed bed'.

I will sprout my peas first (thank you jennym) so there is a tiny root showing, to get them off to a quick start to foil the meeces and weeds too. I might use paper towels, or put them in a jar, soak and rinse, or use jenny's way of sowing thickly in a seed tray in soil.

Worth a try? I think so. If you do, let's compare notes later in the season.

[petemason]

I will be able to reach the middle of the bed to harvest and weed so I think I will try the method you suggested supersprout. I've never seen a mention of growing peas in blocks anywhere which is why I posed the question in the first place.
I might stick a few branches in there to help support them and I will certainly 'keep notes' to compare later in the year.
Thanks to you both.

Pete

[supersprout]

Great, look forward to comparing notes on block planting pete!
The first book introducing me to the notion of beds was John Seymour's The Self Sufficient Gardener umpteen years ago (first edition lol :-[ ;)) You'll find the block pea technique there, complete with illustration of chicken wire grid!

There's a new feature on chitting peas on the wiki, prompted by discussion at http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,57/topic,17821.0/topicseen,topicseen

[MikeB]

Hi Pete, I looked in the ' veg gardener's bible ' the american raised bed guru, he states the peas can be sown 1" apart in a 4" row, with chicken wire placed down the middle of the row. Rows to be 12" apart. I don't grow peas so unable to comment.

[Jimmy]

Mike,

sorry, but what is the bible you are refering to?

[supersprout]

Hi Jimmy, follow the link ...

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0715317814/qid=1143036222/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/202-0411622-2192660

Snap mike ;) With a library of gardening books, this one is definitely in the top three.

[Jimmy]

Cheers. The biggest challenge is finding out how much you can tinker with the suggested spacings between rows etc.

With the raised beds, can reduce the distances but do not really want to do so to the detriment of the crop yield.

Guess that is all part of the fun and where forums like this are invaluable!

[fbgrifter]

what are your other 2 supersprout?

[supersprout]

I can't resist getting gardening books. The top three are the ones with dirty pages that get referred to alla the time! The other two are:

John Seymour: The Self Sufficient Gardener
Pauline Pears: Beds

do you think this would be worth a new thread? I'd love to know other peeps' too :)

[fbgrifter]

that could be a good idea

[supersprout]

Cheers. The biggest challenge is finding out how much you can tinker with the suggested spacings between rows etc. With the raised beds, can reduce the distances but do not really want to do so to the detriment of the crop yield. Guess that is all part of the fun and where forums like this are invaluable!

You hit the nail on the head for me Jimmy, I love experimenting just to See What Happens. Weather, stray seeds and wildlife mean that random accidents hapen all the time anyhoo! So it never stops being surprising and fun ;D

your back better fbgrifter? :)

[fbgrifter]

supersprout>>  how kind of you to ask.  yes much better, i was very surprised that i could walk the next day, but managed to get down to the plot for more punishment!