You might have seen "Half-Pint" which is a pea plant only 12" tall, suggested for growing in a pot e.g. on a windowsill.
Do peas need to be outside for at least a while to germinate? I would have thought so. Do you agree?
Thank you
Did I say "germinate"? D'oh, I meant "be pollinated".
eek.
Peas have perfect flowers, this is a technical term meaning that all the bits necessary for pollination is contained within one flower.
To make sure the pollen gets to the right bits, just j.j.j.jiggle them a bit - as Arkwright would say
Phil
You need to do a little more than j,j,j,jiggle pea flowers to pollinate them. They (and most other legumes) have evolved a mechanism that requires the keel (the lower lip) of the flower to be depressed (this would of course be done by a visiting insect outdoors) to force the stigma through the anthers to effect pollination. As Hugh pointed out when I mentioned this, concerning broad beans, it could be a very laborious process trying to replicate this action by hand! Hopefully a 'half-pint' pea doesn't have a lot of flowers.
Who is Arkwright?
Oh, definitely outside then.
I mentioned this variety because it is being given away free with orders from Simply Vegetables (Plants of Distinction). Haven't used them before but was browsing their catalogue.
I grow other peas too but this one looks quite pretty as a patio-type plant.
John,
Arkwright (Ronnie Barker) is the main character in a TV sitcom based in a northern shop - Open at all Hours. He has a stutter hence on one occasion he was heard to say that "all you have to do do is j-j-j-jiggle it about a bit"
Phil
I applied the principle to the manual polination of peas