GARDENING Double dose of sweetness
COOL SEASON PLANTS: GROW SWEET PEAS AND GARDEN PEAS FOR FLAVOUR, FRAGRANCE
Soil preparation may require some sweat – but results justify the effort. Alice Spenser-Higgs
Sweet peas are loved for their fragrance, and garden peas for their sweetness. Both are cool season plants that like cool nights and bright days, deep rich soil and a sunny position.
The planting windows are March and July and if you have the right conditions, why not grow both, for flavour and fragrance?
SOIL PREPARATION
While dwarf or semi-dwarf varieties just need well composted soil dug over to a spade’s depth (30 cm), the traditional method for growing climbing sweet or garden peas is to make a trench, 50 to 60cm deep. Although this requires some sweat equity the results totally justify the effort.
HOW TO MAKE A TRENCH
Water the soil well the day before digging. It will make the work much easier.
Remove the topsoil to a depth of 30cm, and put it to one side. Mix compost and a sprinkle lime into the topsoil. Lime corrects acidity, encourages microorganisms and helps improve drainage but don’t use too much lime.
Loosen the soil at the bottom of the trench to a depth of 30cm. Sprinkle iron chelate at the bottom of the trench, add rotted manure and bone meal or superphosphate for root development.
Return the composted topsoil to the trench and water well.
SOWING
Sow seed directly into the soil. For quicker and better germination, soak seeds in warm water (18-20°C) for 24 hours before sowing.
The sowing depth for dwarf varieties like sweet pea “Bijou Mixed” is 15mm with plants spaced 15cm apart.
For edible “Sugar Charm” the sowing depth is 20cm with 60cm between plants.
For climbers like Sweet Pea “Mammoth” or “Sugar Snap”, the seed is best sown in a drill, about 15cm deep. Space seeds about 7cm apart and cover with 5cm of soil.
As the plants grow, fill in with soil a little at a time. This keeps the roots damp and cool.
GROWING ON
When climbing peas are about 18cm high, pinch off the top leaves. This encourages strong basal shoots.
Stake climbing varieties or train them up a fence or trellis.
Fertilise with Margaret Roberts Supercharger two weeks after germination and thereafter every four weeks.
Peas need regular watering but water carefully while seedlings are still small to prevent rotting or damping off. To prevent diseases, avoid wetting the leaves during watering.
HARVESTING
Garden peas mature nine to 12 weeks after sowing. Pick twice a week and don’t leave mature pods on the bush, otherwise the plant’s vigour will decline and the picking season will be shortened. Regular picking of sweet pea blooms and removing dead flowers extends the flowering.
TRY THESE
Why not alternate climbing edible peas like “Sugar Snap” and flowering “Mammoth” sweet peas.
It will provide a buzz for pollinators and create an unforgettable climbing wall. Even the smallest patio or balcony can accommodate a few containers of “Sugar Charm”. This “eat all” pea produces a cascade of 8cm pods.
Use raw in salads, as a stir fry or shelled for conventional cooking.
As a garden edging or in containers, the dwarf “Bijou Mixed” offers a mixture of brightly coloured, highly scented flowers on long stems. It grows into a bushy plant 40-60cm high and flowers within 90 to 100 days from germination.
If planting in containers, select a pot at least 40cm deep, and use a fertile potting mix, with added compost, and a slow release fertiliser.
The pot should receive full morning sun and afternoon shade. Don’t let the soil dry out and feed once a week with Margaret Roberts Organic Supercharger at half strength.
For more inspiration visit www.kirchhoffs.co.za