Go green with tasty home-grown peas

FORGET about frozen, tinned or dried peas. Home-grown peas picked straight from the vine, podded and eaten within a few minutes are one of the joys of summer.

Crisp, sweet and with a succulent texture, the shiny green beads have a flavour that’s far superior to any preserved types.

Even hand-shelled podded peas in bags or whole ‘fresh’ pods sold loose in boxes are a poor substitute, as the globules are often hard and tasteless, with an unpleasant grainy texture.

The contrast in quality is down to age – the moment peas are picked, sugars turn to starch and the flavour is spoiled.

To enjoy the best-tasting peas, grow them from scratch. Seeds sown in the ground in early summer will usually germinate within seven to 14 days, with seedlings turning into vigorous plants that will romp away in good weather. By the end of summer, they will have formed dense bushes laden with pods.

Technically, there are two main types of pea. ‘Round’ ones are perfect for sowing in autumn and picking the following spring, while so-called ‘wrinkled’ peas are best for sowing now, as they have craggy skin that traps water and can lead to rotting in cold soil over winter.

There are scores of fantastic varieties. Bred in the late 19th Century, ‘Kelvedon Wonder’ produces 20intall plants with large crops of pods, while ‘Terrain’ is a heavy cropper with slightly curved, pointed pods. Introduced in 1971, ‘Hurst Greenshaft’ has pods that contain about ten sweet-tasting peas.

Pea seeds will germinate readily when sown in a sunny, well-drained spot that has been improved by digging in plenty of garden compost or well-rotted manure. Make a shallow trench, 10in wide by 2in deep, and sow in two parallel lines, spacing seeds 2in apart. Fill the trough with soil and sprinkle with water.

When seedlings are about 2in tall, add some supports to prevent them collapsing.

Insert bamboo canes along the row, attaching a sheet of support netting for plants to clamber up. If you’re using pots, push twigs into them to make a wigwam shape.

Keep soil damp with regular watering. After flowers appear, give them a good drink at least once a week.

Peas will usually be ready about 12 weeks after sowing, with pods at the bottom of plants the first to reach maturity. Use a sharp knife to cut them cleanly from plants and harvest regularly to ensure the peas are sweet and tender, and to encourage a constant supply of fresh pods.