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Produce => Edible Plants => Topic started by: Duke Ellington on February 02, 2010, 13:52:15

Title: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Duke Ellington on February 02, 2010, 13:52:15: This year I want to grow a few tall climbing peas but I cant find any in the garden centres.(maybe I am not looking hard enough :-[) I would like to grow them up canes like runners. Does anyone know of a good variety that I could try?and the best place to order them from?

Duke
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: plot51A on February 02, 2010, 14:14:04: I think climbing peas are mostly heritage varieties, no good for commercial growing of course.
I've had good results from Alderman, started growing them after seeing a recommendation on this forum. I've also got some Telephone, which I think are very similar. If you'd like a few to try, pm me - got spares ;D
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Mortality on February 02, 2010, 14:50:12: Had a look in my book, it lists 2 that grow to about 5ft.
Both maincrop, Alderman and Sugar Snap. ;D
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: plainleaf2 on February 02, 2010, 15:11:20: Thomas Laxton
BRITISH WONDER
GREEN ARROW
Tall Telephone
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Stevens706 on February 02, 2010, 15:12:09: Lancashire Lad is a tall climbing Purple podded pea
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: plot51A on February 02, 2010, 15:23:03: Quote from: Mortality on February 02, 2010, 14:50:12
Had a look in my book, it lists 2 that grow to about 5ft.
Both maincrop, Alderman and Sugar Snap. ;D

Alderman grow to more like 7-8ft in my experience.
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Bugloss2009 on February 02, 2010, 15:53:00: Telephon is a lovely pea, but I've never had a heavy crop. Still keep growing it

Also Magnum Bonum, never tried it

http://daughterofthesoil.blogspot.com/2007/12/heritage-veg-summary-2007.html (http://daughterofthesoil.blogspot.com/2007/12/heritage-veg-summary-2007.html)
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Duke Ellington on February 02, 2010, 16:01:37: Thanks for all your suggestions. Still trying to find Lancashire Lad as the purple flower sounds nice. Nickys Seeds sell Alderman so I might give that a go.

http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/catalog/shopping_cart.php?SASSpage=http://www.nickys-nursery.co.uk/seeds/pages/veg3A-peas.htm

Duke :)
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Digeroo on February 02, 2010, 16:10:46: Quote
Thomas Laxton
BRITISH WONDER
GREEN ARROW
Tall Telephone
These are not easity available this side of the salty pond.

Heritage seed library have lots of tall varieties.

I like purple podded peas. Great flowers, nice as mangetout and decent peas. If you like mangetout swiss giant get pretty big.
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: chriscross1966 on February 02, 2010, 16:13:32: One of the italian seed companies do Telfono, it's a tall pea

chrisc
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: plot51A on February 02, 2010, 16:24:35: Have a look at http://www.realseeds.co.uk/peas.html
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: plainleaf2 on February 02, 2010, 16:47:12: Digeroo here are some links to uk sources for seeds varieties I listed.
you really need learn to use a search engine.
Thomas Laxtonhttp://www.seedfest.co.uk/seeds/peas/peas.html (http://www.seedfest.co.uk/seeds/peas/peas.html)
GREEN ARROWhttp://www.wholesale-pots.com/acatalog/pea_seeds_uk_vegetable_seed_thompson_and_morgan.html (http://www.wholesale-pots.com/acatalog/pea_seeds_uk_vegetable_seed_thompson_and_morgan.html)
Tall Telephonehttp://www.realseeds.co.uk/peas.html (http://www.realseeds.co.uk/peas.html)
(http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/Themes/classic/images/warnmute.gif) 4 week ban for rudeness
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Tulipa on February 02, 2010, 17:08:45: Duke,

I have the Desiree, had them last year- please remind me to sow them!! I wondered about the Golden Sweet - yellow mange tout with two-toned blue flowers! I have no idea what they taste like! Just intrigued!

http://www.plantsofdistinction.co.uk/acatalog/A-Z_of_Vegetables_PEA.html#a0232C

T.x
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: saddad on February 02, 2010, 17:14:27: I grew the yellow mangetout and liked them but OH said they looked insipid in the stir-fries so they were discontinued...
I have Lancashire Lad, Purple Podded, Magnum Bonum and others... Magnum is my favourite...
:)
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Mortality on February 02, 2010, 17:16:19: Quote from: Tulipa on February 02, 2010, 17:08:45
Duke,

I have the Desiree, had them last year- please remind me to sow them!! I wondered about the Golden Sweet - yellow mange tout with two-toned blue flowers! I have no idea what they taste like! Just intrigued!

http://www.plantsofdistinction.co.uk/acatalog/A-Z_of_Vegetables_PEA.html#a0232C

T.x

I wonder what theyre like if you let the peas develope ;D
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Squash64 on February 02, 2010, 17:17:18: If you grow Alderman make sure you keep fastening them to some support. I forgot, and when they were about 4 or 5 ft high and they sort of folded back on themselves and made picking almost impossible!
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: saddad on February 02, 2010, 17:19:29: Quote from: Mortality on February 02, 2010, 17:16:19
Quote from: Tulipa on February 02, 2010, 17:08:45
Duke,

I have the Desiree, had them last year- please remind me to sow them!! I wondered about the Golden Sweet - yellow mange tout with two-toned blue flowers! I have no idea what they taste like! Just intrigued!

http://www.plantsofdistinction.co.uk/acatalog/A-Z_of_Vegetables_PEA.html#a0232C

T.x

I wonder what theyre like if you let the peas develope ;D
[/quote

Indifferent... the flowers are lovely, the peas OK, as Mangetout great but the colour doesn't suit a lot of dishes..
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Trevor_D on February 02, 2010, 17:21:54: And they grow taller than it says on the packet! I had just that last year with some of my Gradus. The packet says up to 4 feet, so I put in 5 foot high netting - they grew to 6 or 7 feet and folded themselves in two!
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Mortality on February 02, 2010, 17:35:17: Quote from: Trevor_D on February 02, 2010, 17:21:54
And they grow taller than it says on the packet! I had just that last year with some of my Gradus. The packet says up to 4 feet, so I put in 5 foot high netting - they grew to 6 or 7 feet and folded themselves in two!

eek, im goning to be growing 'Onward' in the back garden, my book says 2.5 ft please tell me thats about right :D
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on February 02, 2010, 17:49:28: Alderman's easy to come by, and Kings are as cheap as any. You can get Ne Plus Ultra and a purple-podded variety here: http://www.mammothonion.co.uk/shop/7/index.htm. their Alderman is relatively expensive. Magnum Bonum, another good one, can be obtained here: http://brownenvelopeseeds.com/index.php/shop/
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Deb P on February 03, 2010, 09:02:32: 'Show Perfection' is my favourite tall pea, I get mine from Robinsons and grow them up wigwams. Very good cropper and you get about 11 peas per pod, very sweet.

I love Golden Sweet for looks when it is flowering, but found the peas mealy and tasteless I'm afraid.... :-\
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Digeroo on February 04, 2010, 21:36:15: Quote
I wondered about the Golden Sweet - yellow mange tout with two-toned blue flowers!

I grew some of these from Real seeds, not very impressed but I think I started them off rather late not sure they liked the warm spell. Though I understand if you manage to cross them with a purple podded one you can get red pods and I would really like to achieve that. See the blog by Daughter of the Soil.

Quote
you really need learn to use a search engine.
Whoops. Looks like you are right there.
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: plot51A on February 05, 2010, 10:01:09: I notice that seedfest no longer sell individual packets - only veg collections at 39.99 :o, and that Green Arrow are not climbing peas - only grow 28 - 30". Perhaps we all need to be careful with search engines ;D
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: emmy1978 on February 05, 2010, 10:35:44: Quote from: Digeroo on February 04, 2010, 21:36:15
Quote
you really need learn to use a search engine.

Whoops. Looks like you are right there.

Or you could just keep posting here! That's the nice thing about a forum rather than a boring old search. Here you get real knowledge and experience on taste, cropping, care, as opposed to sales sites, wikipedia..... :D
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Mortality on February 05, 2010, 11:36:42: Quote from: Digeroo on February 04, 2010, 21:36:15
Quote
See the blog by Daughter of the Soil.

http://daughterofthesoil.blogspot.com/

Wow thats a pretty looking pea, glad you said about that site, ty
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on February 05, 2010, 14:41:49: Real Seeds now Have Champion of England, and claim it can reach ten feet! I believe Telephone, which they also have, is virtually identical to Alderman, but I haven't compared them myself.
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Jayb on February 05, 2010, 15:41:31: I agree Golden Sweet are gorgeous when growing and the pods are really easy to see and pick, athough they are not my favourite mange-tout to eat. I'm going to try Winterkefe this year.

I really like Simpson's Special and Alderman is good too. I prefered Purple Podded to Lancashire Lad, just that bit sweeter, but I would be happy to grow either again.

If you have not already found some, I've got a few Lancashire Lad and Golden Sweet spare if you would like a few to try Duke
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Digeroo on February 05, 2010, 19:01:07: These are the ones I would really like to grow.

http://daughterofthesoil.blogspot.com/2008/07/red-podded-pea-update.html

I tried it this year without success. I fertilised my yellow podded with purple podded and carefully marked the flowers and some pesky mouse ran off with the seeds!!! :-\

I grew a wall of purple podded last year to keep out the north west wind, they are very hardy. The effect was stunning. Great too for grazing on the peas of a morning.
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: earlypea on February 06, 2010, 08:13:15: What did you grow them up Digeroo? My attempt at tall peas last year were quite pathetic - didn't like canes and string and then blew over in the wind.

And....how do people protect the tall ones (the mature pods not the baby plants) from birds?
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Mortality on February 06, 2010, 10:33:57: Quote from: Digeroo on February 05, 2010, 19:01:07
These are the ones I would really like to grow.

http://daughterofthesoil.blogspot.com/2008/07/red-podded-pea-update.html

I tried it this year without success. I fertilised my yellow podded with purple podded and carefully marked the flowers and some pesky mouse ran off with the seeds!!! :-\

I grew a wall of purple podded last year to keep out the north west wind, they are very hardy. The effect was stunning. Great too for grazing on the peas of a morning.

Wow those red pods are beautiful, her blog is so interesting and certainly infectious.
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Robert_Brenchley on February 06, 2010, 14:24:43: The one I really want to try is Kent Blue; I probably need to join HSL to get it. It's the only one I've seen apart from the Carlin Pea which looks like a medieval type, so it's interesting from a historical point of view.

PS I just did join. I noticed they had Carlin Pea as well, so that's two birds with one stone.
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Mortality on February 07, 2010, 09:59:46: See if you can contact her through her blog, maybe she would let you have some Kent Blue. I can't seem to find it any where else, except maybe the american source she got it from.(actually the american source bit could be wrong)
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Digeroo on February 07, 2010, 10:13:11: Early on all my peas were protected by plastic bottles. My first year growing PPP I had quite a show of flowers and suddening a pigeon discovered the feast and stripped the lot. I was devasted However I wound cotton between the canes so that if it was touched all the canes started moving. This seemed to discourage them and I was delighted to find that the plants produced more shoots lower down and after quite a short time I was back in peas.

I also rigged up a plastic bird of prey. Simply the outline on a piece of plastic stuck to a yogurt pot.

I have more problem from mice who I have found climbing almost 2 metres off the ground.
Title: Re: CLIMBING PEAS
Post by: Mortality on February 07, 2010, 10:16:38: Quote from: Digeroo on February 07, 2010, 10:13:11

I have more problem from mice who I have found climbing almost 2 metres off the ground.

That I think will also be my problem, we occasionally get mice in the house and I'm betting there will be plenty in the garden. :-\