Medwyn Williams knows the key to champion peas
The right variety and growing system can lead to success on the show bench
I’m having a real go at growing some exhibition peas this year and they’re now well established at the end of my runner bean rows. They were sown later than usual on June 5 and I’d really like to be able to get a few pods to stage on my display at Malvern in September.
If you’re to harvest the best possible peas you need the right variety as well as the right method to grow them for the longest, best-filled pods. The only proven variety to grow for exhibition is the tall ‘Show Perfection’, which can easily grow to over 2m (6ft 6in). The best method to grow them is the cordon system, where one seedling is planted next to a 2.4m (8ft) cane and tied to it at regular intervals. Remove all tendrils and sideshoots regularly and when the pea gets to around 1m (39in) tall they’ll start to flower.
To get the peas really growing I place half a teaspoon of dried blood around each plant as soon as I see the plant is growing away. The soil in the area where the beans and peas are growing is covered with a heavy duty weed control woven fabric, which saves me a lot of time.
I’m trying two new varieties this year, ‘Turner’s Green’ and ‘Gladiator’. ‘Turner’s Green’ came to prominence on the show bench fairly recently and certainly has pods as long as ‘Show Perfection’ with longer stalks supporting them. I was given the ‘Gladiator’ pea by a gentleman from West Wales, who came to my house last autumn with a very small amount of this pea. I remember it being shown by Mick Botherway on TV many years ago. Mick could certainly grow this one well, with large voluminous pods containing upwards of 14 peas. Whether this is from the same stable or not, time will tell, but I shall certainly give it a good go!