Beans & Peas

The ground for runners should be prepared in the winter by digging deeply and working in lots of manure.

Make a trench about eighteen to twenty-four inches wide and to the same depth. Fork as much compost as possible into the bottom of the trench. If you have light, well drained soil, line the trench with old newspapers to help retain water.

Replace the top layer of soil leaving the final level about two inches lower than the rest of the ground, this will make watering a lot easier.

Sow beans in the first week of May, in holes two inches deep and about nine inches apart; planting two beans in each - with nine inches between rows.

Once the beans have germinated, give the weaker of the two plants the chop (I know, it’s distressing). A second sowing in the first week of June will ensure a succession of beans.

Runner beans need really frequent watering; not to mention hoeing to keep weeds at bay.

Supporting your Beans

When they’re about four to six inches high, your beans will start to ‘run’ and need good strong supports if they’re going to make it; tough strings fixed to horizontal wires work best, or you can use a hazel stick to each plant. Stout end posts and cross beams will support the wires, with any other posts stood about six feet apart. Tie the strings nine inches apart from the top wire to the bottom one and you’ve got it.

Peas

Peas are one of everyone’s favourite vegetables, children who won’t eat any others will usually eat peas - the UK’s most popular frozen vegetable. But no matter how quickly they are frozen by the manufacturer they cannot possibly taste as good as the ones we grow ourselves for as soon as a pea is picked, the sugar within starts turning into starch and it loses that ‘just picked’ sweetness.

If you want the best out of peas, pick the pods when the peas are quite small and boil the shelled peas (within the hour) for ten minutes and add a sprig of mint to the water, the taste is amazing!

Sadly, as a garden-grown crop, peas are often a bit disappointing; with a small yield for the area size, especially if the weather is too hot or the soil poor. Make sure you have a sound knowledge of growing them before buying seeds in the spring. Never, for example, plant them in cold, wet soil; the soil must be fertile, birds must be kept well away, etc. With skill and care, you can have peas all the way from May until October.

Sowing the seeds

In poor soil the yield of peas will be very disheartening, but avoid adding too much fertilizer to soil as large amounts of nitrogen won't help your cause at all. It needs good structure, and to be rich in humus and lime so that the soil is not too acidic.

Choose a nice open space where peas haven't been grown for at least two seasons; digging the soil in autumn or early winter, throwing in about two whole buckets of well-rotted manure or compost into each square yard. A light dressing of a general fertiliser will perk things up shortly before you sow. If you're sowing in the early spring, use a fungicidal seed dressing.

Press seeds into the soil about three inches apart, in holes about two inches deep, firming the soil down lightly after sowing. The expected germination time of pea seeds is about seven to ten days.

Caring for the crop

The row must be protected from birds as soon as it has been sown; use plastic netting or some black cotton stretched between short stakes. Wire-mesh guards are the best deterrent.

Weeds must be kept tamed with regular hoeing; when the seedlings reach about three inches in height stick some twigs next to their tender stems to give them support. Do this quickly, because if the stems are left to sprawl all over the ground they'll be heavily slugged. Varieties that are medium and tall growers will need extra support, a strong screen of plastic netting at the side of each row should do the trick.

Dry spells in the summer can be lethal, make sure your peas are watered regularly at these times, also a mulch of grass-clippings that are free of any weed-killer will help keep in moisture if spread between the rows.

Picking the pods

When a pod is well-filled but with a little space between each pea, it is ready to be picked. Begin at the bottom of the stem and work your way up, using both hands (one to hold the stem firm whilst you pick). Pick them regularly, if you leave pods to mature it will drastically reduce the total yield.

Use the stems to make compost once all the pods have gone, but leave the roots where they are in the soil as this will replace lost nutrients.

Mangetout

You eat the whole pod of Mangetout, Pick the pods when these are about three inches long and the peas just starting to show.

Planting

You will need a sheltered site when planting for a May/June crop - if it's cold and exposed you'll have to expect casualties.

A round variety such as Feltham First, is a good choice for your first crop of the year but cover the seedlings and developing plants with cloches until the end of April.

For a June/July crop, plant in mid-March using a First Early wrinkled variety like the Kelvedon Wonder.

For a late summer crop plant a maincrop wrinkled pea in mid April.

It's great to have fresh peas in September and October, when the main picking season is finished. June-July is the sowing season and you must make sure to choose the right type, a First Early wrinkled variety with resistance to mildew is best.

Mangetout and Petit Pois are best sown in April (although it can be delayed until May), when the soil's just starting to warm up.