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Pea

Raw peas eaten straight from the pod are the reason most children start gardening, and they crop in the cool months when little else does.

1. Sow into a flat-bottomed drill 5 cm deep and 15 cm wide, scattering seed 5 to 8 cm apart in a staggered double line.
2. Cover, firm, and net the row immediately against mice and pigeons.
3. Push in twiggy sticks or netting 1 to 1.5 m tall as soon as the shoots are 10 cm high.
4. Water regularly but lightly until the flowers appear.
5. From first flower, water heavily and mulch the base of the row.
6. Pick from the bottom of the plant upwards, every two or three days.
7. When the plants are finished, cut the tops off for compost and leave the roots in the soil for the nitrogen.

Soil

Well-drained, moisture-retentive soil at pH 6 to 7.5. They like a little lime and need no nitrogen.

Sun

Full sun in the cool season. Peas stop producing once daytime temperatures stay above about 27 C.

Water

Modest until flowering, then about 20 litres per square metre per week while the pods fill. Overwatering before flowering just makes soft foliage.

Spacing

5 to 8 cm apart in a wide flat drill, rows 60 cm apart

Depth

4 to 5 cm deep

Care

['Support everything, even so-called self-supporting varieties. Peas on the ground rot and get eaten.', 'No nitrogen feed. A single potash feed at flowering is all they ever need.', 'Weed carefully by hand, because pea roots run shallow and near the surface.', 'Mulch to keep the roots cool, which delays the point at which heat stops production.', 'In Mediterranean and arid zones treat peas as a winter crop and give up on spring sowings.']

Harvesting

For shelling peas, pick when the pods are well filled but still bright green and before they go pale and waxy. For mangetout, pick when the pod is flat and the peas are just visible bumps. For sugar snap, pick when the pod is plump but still crisp. Pick from the bottom up, using two hands.

Storing

Peas start turning their sugar to starch within hours, so eat or freeze them the same day. Blanch for 90 seconds, cool in iced water, drain and freeze. For dried peas, leave the pods on the plant until they rattle, shell and dry a week further, then store airtight.

Grow it next to

Good with carrots, radish, cucumber, sweetcorn and beans. Keep well away from onions, garlic, leeks and shallots.

Problems

[{'cause': 'Powdery mildew, worse when the roots are dry', 'fix': 'Water the base thoroughly and mulch. Remove the worst leaves. Sow earlier next year so the crop finishes before the heat, and choose mildew-resistant varieties.', 'symptom': 'White powdery coating over leaves and stems in a hot dry spell'}, {'cause': 'Pea moth, whose adults lay eggs on flowers in early summer', 'fix': 'Cover the row with fine mesh during flowering, or sow very early or very late so flowering misses the moth flight in June and July.', 'symptom': 'Small maggots inside the peas when you shell them'}, {'cause': 'Pea and bean weevil', 'fix': 'Mostly cosmetic on established plants. Protect young seedlings with fleece and keep them growing fast with water.', 'symptom': 'Neat semicircular notches around the leaf edges'}, {'cause': 'Mice, which dig peas up almost as fast as you sow them', 'fix': 'Net or cloche the row immediately after sowing, or start peas in a length of guttering indoors and slide the whole row out into the bed.', 'symptom': 'Sown seed disappears from the row'}, {'cause': 'Pea wilt or root rot in cold wet soil', 'fix': 'Improve drainage, do not sow into waterlogged ground, and rotate legumes on a four-year cycle.', 'symptom': 'Plants yellow from the base and wilt, with blackened roots'}]

Saving your own seed

One of the easiest. Peas self-pollinate before the flower opens, so varieties stay true with only a few metres of separation. Leave the best pods to dry brown on the plant, shell, and store airtight. Seed keeps three years.

Containers

Good in a 30 cm deep trough with a small trellis or twiggy sticks. Dwarf varieties under 60 cm tall are the ones to choose. Mangetout and sugar snap types give the most food per pot.