I am growing some climbing peas for the first time this year - "Champion of England" and "Alderman".
They are now about five feet tall growing up canes covered with netting. The first flowers are starting to appear, but only at the top of the plants - I was expecting them to appear all over the plants, as I have been told to pick the pods from the bottom of the plant first ::)
Can I expect to see more flowers appear lower down at some time? Otherwise I'll be lucky to have a dozen pods from the whole row!
Advice appreciated :)
They should flower from lower down as well..but are your plants shaded at lower down?..as this would explain flowers on top only..but wait and see..there is still plenty of time more flowers to appear...
Sometimes they grow side shoots further down the plant. The tops of mine were devasted by pigeons last year and they soon produced lots of new shoots. My tall peas do not seem to stop growing and I think you will find they will get considerably taller. I pick my first peas when they are quite young to pursuade the plant to grow some more, actually more likely because I like eating them.
Quote from: goodlife on June 22, 2010, 14:12:38
They should flower from lower down as well..but are your plants shaded at lower down?..as this would explain flowers on top only..but wait and see..there is still plenty of time more flowers to appear...
They are in full sun practically all day, so no shade at all.
Will try & be a bit more patient........
they will grow nearer 7 feet than 5. I grow those types. Also the production of pods is sporadic and can be picked over a longer period as they are not designed to be harvested agriculturally like more modern varieties. They're lovely peas.
I thought the same, my Alderman seem to be producing just one pod at the top of each plant, but it is producing a lot more now.
The tiny shoots between the stem and the lower leaves will eventually grow and bear buds as well. I seem to recall them proceeding down from the shoots that already had flowers when they opened, by which I mean- the shoot just below the first flower will start to grow, then the one below that, and so on. New shoots from the top of the plant will have flowers right away too.
Pick the biggest pods first, no matter where they are!
How long can cropping last on the tall ones, like Alderman?
A few weeks.