Peas - Mangetout

Type: Vegetable

Rotation Group: 3, Legumes


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OREGON SUGAR

The standard tall growing mangetout pea, it gives high yields of slightly curved pods which are best picked just as the peas start to form. Sweet and utterly delicious.
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CAROUBY DE MAUSSANE

The purple flowers of this tall growing pea will turn heads before it produces its crop of large, flat pods, which we believe are the tastiest of any 'mangetout' type. Best steamed for the very finest flavour.
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SUGAR SNAP

Three peas for the price of one! Pick very young as mangetout, maturing pods can be picked and cooked whole like French beans, or leave until mature and shell them like 'normal' peas. Really tasty however you choose to eat them.
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SUGAR ANN

An ideal choice for stir fry dishes - or for those who simply love eating their peas raw! This very early and heavy cropping snap pea has succulent, fleshy, pale green pods with a great flavour. Pick young as mangetout, if desired.

Site, Soil and Preparation

Peas prefer an open, sunny position with good drainage. If your soil is acidic, then add lime before sowing.

Indoor Sowing

Peas are best sown along a length of guttering filled with compost, spacing seeds about 7.5cm (3in) apart. This makes transplanting outside easy, as you have a ready-made row that can simply be slid into a trench. Alternatively, sow in modular trays or small pots.

Outdoor Sowing

Never sow into cold, wet soil, warm the soil with polythene or cloches before sowing. However, peas generally prefer cooler weather and grow well in a cool spring. Sow the seeds evenly in a 50mm (2in) deep x 150mm (6in) wide trench. Sow about 7.5cm (3in) apart, cover with soil, then lightly firm.

Thinning

Thinning of peas should not be needed if planted at the correct spacings.

Transplanting

Transplant indoor sown peas to the final growing position when the shoots are at least 50mm (2in) high.

Care

Most peas need supports to scramble up. For taller varieties use trellis or bamboo canes and netting. For smaller varieties use pea netting or pea sticks. After flowering, plants need sufficient water for the pods to swell. Water the plants when they start to flower and two weeks after. Add a thick mulch around the base of the plants to help prevent the soil drying out.

Harvest

Mangetout and sugarsnap peas should be picked when the pods are about 7.5cm (3in) long, just as the peas are starting to develop.