PEAS PLEASE ME

Growing peas is a must for Rob Smith. Here’s his introduction to growing them, with top tips and some varieties you might like to try

- Rob Smith

When it comes to home-grown veg, peas are pretty high on the list of crops that people grow or want to have a go at growing. They are beautiful straight from the pod in the garden, perfect to boil for a couple of minutes and serve with fresh mint, or ideal to freeze for later use. That said, my favourite way to eat them is mixed into some chopped cucumber, red onion, and feta cheese, then drizzled with a little oil and a bit of fresh, crushed garlic for a really nice salad.

Peas used to be a staple food in the UK in years gone by, not for eating fresh but for drying and sustaining the nation throughout the winter months, with pease pottage being popular. However, peas lost their ‘staple’ badge when heavier-cropping veg such as potatoes became more abundant and more modern breeding in peas meant that they became a sweet and crisp affair, rather than solely the floury, starchy varieties that dried well.

Growing peas can seem a little daunting when you see all the choices and hear people talking of earlies, second earlies and maincrop varieties, yet this just relates to the time it takes for the plants to crop, with earlies taking around 11-12 weeks and the main crop taking up to 16 weeks.

What you will be using your peas for is also another decision to take into account when deciding what variety to grow – some are better to eat fresh and sweet, others are better to dry for use through the winter, while some are great for mushy peas and others (like mangetout and sugar snap) are good to eat whole, either raw or cooked.

SHORT AND TALL