We are letting the kids have their own raised vegetable bed this year for them to plant, grow, cook and eat whatever they like. The first thing they all wanted to grow was peas, so we gave them a packet and sent them off to plant them.
A month or so later is has become apparent that they didn’t read the sowing instructions and used the whole packet on one long row. The result of which is absolutely masses of plants all trying desperately to reach and cling onto the climbing net.
We’ve attacked it with string and tried to tie them back but they keep on growing and taking over more space. Between the peas and parsnips there is barely room for anything else (I didn’t realise parsnips had so much foliage). I know we should have thinned them out but we are learning here too….
There are pea pods forming with tiny peas inside so we are expecting a bumper crop. Fresh peas straight from the garden are absolutely delicious and it’s difficult to shell them without eating most of them. My mum used to get us to whistle whilst we are shelling peas so I’m busy teaching the kids to whistle.
Then again the kids are managing to eat loads of them now, straight from the plants, pods before they have time to grow fully. I might not get the glut I’m hoping for.
Any tips from experienced pea growers out there?
