Sow easy peas this autumn
Now’s the time to start off peas for an early crop next year, says Helen Billiald. Here’s how to pick the right cultivars and get them started
Now’s the time to sow peas for an early crop next year. Here’s how
Peas are a gardener’s prize crop – one of those harvests that’s miles apart from what you can buy in the supermarket. Pick a basket of peas in May, when most pea plants are still scrabbling to find their supports, and you can be doubly smug.
Sowing in autumn is the ticket to such bliss. You’ll need a sheltered spot, very good soil drainage and ideally a cloche or two to help them through the winter months, but the reward of popping sweet peas from the pod is certainly worth the extra effort. ➤
Not all peas are created equal when it comes to an autumn sowing. It’s essential that you use a hardy, round-seeded cultivar labelled as suitable for an October/November start. Avoid the wrinkled-seed cultivars labelled as spring/summer sowing only. Autumn-sowing peas are hardier and they also tend to be short in stature and need minimal support. This makes them better at dealing with poor weather and easier to protect with cloches.
Peas prefer a fertile, well-drained soil with enough organic matter to hold on to moisture during dry spells but sufficiently sharp drainage to avoid prolonged winter wet. Cold soggy ground is a sure ticket to rotting seeds and failing plants. They thrive in the cool conditions of a British spring and dislike extremes of either heat or cold.
For an autumn sowing, give plants your most sheltered, sunny, well-drained spot. Sow in mid-to-late October or even early November in warmer parts of the country. You want seedlings to form sturdy young plants before the cool weather comes; compact plants will better withstand the winter than plants that are larger and lankier.
Should you miss the autumnsowing window but still yearn for a super-early crop, sow seed under cover in February and plant out under f leece in March. Or, sow direct into a greenhouse bed in November or February; these are easier to protect from mice and you can precisely control how much water the seeds and young plants receive, giving you an excellent chance of success. Once spring arrives, you can begin sowing maincrop peas as well as sugar snaps and mangetout.
Pest protection
Apart from cold wet soil, mice are likely to be your greatest barrier to success. They adore peas and are astonishingly good at tracking down new sowings. Either germinate seed in containers on staging out of paws’ reach or cover direct sowings with a fine mesh.
Newly emerged seedlings are at their most vulnerable to damage from slugs and snails, pigeons, pheasants and even sparrows. Get a cover in place as soon as possible, adding some form of slug protection before the seedlings emerge.
Put the supports in early too, tailoring them to the eventual height of your plants. Maincrop peas sown in spring can reach 2.4m (8ft) tall and need sturdy posts and pea netting, but autumn-sown cultivars tend to reach just 30-60cm (1-2ft) so twiggy hazel pea sticks are all you need.
Once plants start to flower, keep them well watered to ensure the biggest crop and reduce the chance of mildew. Mulching helps to trap in soil moisture. As the pods start to swell, pick them regularly to encourage the plants to keep flowering and whisk them straight to the kitchen. As soon as peas are picked, their sugars begin to turn to starch, which is why those slightly floppy shop-bought pods can never match anything grazed straight from the plant.
You want seedlings to form sturdy young plants before the cool weather comes