Vegmonkey and the Mrs.

The peas i planted out back in April are doing well.This may have something to do with the amazing weather we have been having these last few days. Rather than put netting up i have decided to let the peas climb of their own accord, and tie them up using green twine, rather than that horrid plasticy stuff i used last year. The slugs and snails have pretty much left them alone, largely helped by the copper tape that the Mrs. has strategically and expertly stuck around the beds. It is surprisingly hard-wearing, most of it lasting the winter, and only now does is it starting to need renewing.

The mistake i made with the peas was not labelling which were Feltham First and which were Mange-Tout. It’s going to be interesting when the plants start flowering to see how many of each plant we have. I was going to sow successionally so that we had a supply of peas throughout the summer, but sadly don’t have the space.

I’m going to grow a supply of plants in guttering in July and plant them out if the peas stop producing.  Having never grown peas before, i’m not sure how long this will be, so it will be interesting. I’m assuming they will be like Runner Beans and keep cropping as long as i keep picking.

Due to a load of warm weather we’ve been having this week, everything in the garden has shot up which has resulted in a grinning Vegmonkey! I decided as it was bright and dry outside that i would plant out my ‘Feltham First’ peas and Mange Tout ‘Oregan Sugar Pod.’

The peas planted straight into the earth have done nowhere as well as the ones i planted into guttering. This has to do with the shallow guttering keeping the heat in better and the fact they were stored in the cold-frame, ironically named as it is actually warmer than outside.

I bought some beautiful sticks, not sure which tree they are from, i’m thinking maybe hazel.  I placed them in the ground at the base of the 3 pea plants that had grown in-situ and inserted the others equidistant in the space. A set of 10 sticks cost me £2.00.

First row planted                                       Second row planted

I then transplanted the peas from the guttering into holes about 4 inches deep. I’d like to say i used a trowel, but in truth the holes were made using just my hands. It’s nice to be scrabbling around in warm soil again. The longest root on one of the pea plants was 40cm, so i trimmed it off slightly. When growing in guttering, there is a danger that the roots of the different plants get intertwined. I’ve heard of people sliding the contents of the guttering straight into the soil, but that would mean organising the spacing before planting, and i’m nowhere near that organised! So i had to treat them carefully, easing them out and bedding them in with the compost from the guttering.

I then planted two more rows the same way. I wish i could have spread the peas out a bit - twice the distance between rows would be ideal - but i do not have the space. Once all the plants were in (and a few extras added in case the weaker plants get sluggified!) i added a little more compost around them and made sure they were sturdy, then emptied about 4 watering cans around them.

I then tied the canes at the top with garden twine to ensure the sticks didn’t move about in the wind. The plants themselves will grow to about 3ft tops.

I just wish i’d labelled the guttering…i have no way of distinguishing between the seedlings as yet, so they’ve gone in together which could result in an interesting mix of flowers and fruit!

I thought i’d take the opportunity to sow some peas today. I know they won’t come up yet but it’s nice to get them in the ground and get a plant label in (i got some nice new wooden ones for Christmas..which will slowly disappear as the plants grow!). I planted a variety called ‘Feltham First.’ It can be planted in Autumn but i have chosen to put it in prior to Spring and I’m keeping it covered until the weather warms up a little. Either way, another row or two will go in, in March. I’m assuming that as the temps warm up, that won’t take long to catch up.

I planted 2 rows of the peas 5cm apart and about a metre between rows. The theory is that the rows should be the same distance apart as the plants grow high…if that makes sense. I also planted a few seeds in some old guttering so that if i have any gaps, these can be filled by the spares. I’m not sure how i will support the plants yet. I think it will depend on if i can get hold of some sturdy hazel sticks, otherwise it will just be canes i feel, with some sort of netting strung between them.

As you can see from the delicious waste above, before i planted the peas, i dug a nice deep trench and filled it with the a mixture from our kitchen caddy. This has been slowly rotting over the last week and filled the trench nicely. It’s mostly veg peelings, crushed eggshells and teabags.  I added some organic fertiliser slow release pellets to this. The roots will have a nice supply of goodness as they grow as peas like a deeply dug rich soil.

I really wanted to put the mange-tout in but am going to hold off until the start of March i think so that i don’t have to give them any protection.