Allotments 4 All

Hi All,

I've never bothered with peas before: always been put off by tales of how difficult it is to get decent returns. But, prompted by my allotment-mad 10 year old son, this year we've decided that 2009 will be Year of the Pea (ie, proper effort to grow plenty of 'em, as both early and main crops).

Could anyone advise on how long they need netting for ? Am I safe to remove netting when they reach, say, 5 inches ?

Any advice very gratefully received.   

Always bring on mine in modules in the greenhouse then plant out. Usually use Dorian 'Mr Big'


;D

Mine need netting until they're ready to harvest to protect from the flying rats.

leave mine netted till they are well podded  they are delicious well worth it  ;D...n8r

Mine are growing well and are not netted as yet...... 

We rarely need to net ours... do you want a few purple podded seed for the lad...
:)

Saddad are they the same as the purple flowered pea, a climber?
Janet

yes, 6'+ but Lancashire lad also has purple pods... and is probably slightly taller...  :)

I have just taken the chicken wire off mine (they are about 3" high) and put the support mesh in instead. I haven't grown peas for a couple of years but seem to remember they were fine doing it this way before.[attachment=1]

Thanks v much for all those replies.

Saddad: many thanks for your kind offer, but not sure I have time/room for any more this year. I've already got enough for 2 long rows in modules in greenhouse (like Jokerman). They need to go out now, hence my angst about nets.

I'd always assumed--perhaps wrongly--that the need to net was to stop birds digging up the seeds, rather than to protect seedlings.

It sounds like the need to net depends on how bad a pigeon problem there is, locally (?). I've grown sweet peas, and several types of bean (runner, broad, dwarf and climbing french) for years, and never had to net any of them. Might this mean I can get away without netting peas too ?

Try it... the only way to find out what your local pigeons have developed a taste for... :)

I planted some peas (kelvedon wonder) for the first time this year.  Protected half the row with poly-tunnel type cloche because I didn't have enough cloche to cover the whole row.  The ones outside of the cloche have been completely decimated by.....something......don't know what, and the ones inside the cloche have been nibbled by something.  The leaves look like they have serrated edges.  Any ideas as to what has done the damage ? The ones outside of the cloche have completely disappeared so I imagine it could be pheasants or pigeons that have had the seeds before they even germinated.

I've planted another 40 in individual pots in the GH in the hope that they germinate and I can grow them to 3 or 4 inches before I take them to the plot.  I'll net them when I take them up there too.

FA x

The nibbling round the edges of leaves is the pea and bean weevil.

[attachment=1]

They don't do a huge amount of damage.  I just squish them if I see them.

I thought it was slugs, and put a load of pellets down and peas seem to be doing OK.

They soon get too big to be damaged.

funnily enough I find tall peas the most abundant crop per square foot.

This year I'm growing:

Gradus
Ne Plus Ultra
Champion of England
Magnum Bonum
Show Perfection
Alderman

and some small Homestead.

Unfortunately Peas seem to be number 1 on the rats menu!

Same here, I don't bother with anything but tall peas.