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Growing peas used to be popular but with the advent of the frozen pea, home grown peas are relatively rare. They require a lot of space for a relatively small crop and they are prone to a number of pests and diseases which can wipe out your efforts in a week or so. However, the benefits of growing peas are many.

You can , if you choose different varieties, have a long period of harvest and some will even produce a second crop after harvesting. Many dwarf varieties are now available which means you get good yields on small areas and several varieties require little or no staking as they are self supporting. Harvesting is rewarding and, even with frozen peas available from the freezer, there is nothing to compare with the sweet, juicy taste of a feshly picked crop of peas.

To grow peas, first choose the variety. You can get almost leafless ones which makes harvesting a doddle ad dwarf varietes will produce great crops if you have a small site. Peas come in early, maincrop and sugarsnap or mangetout varieties and some recommend ones include 'Feltham First','Hurst Beagle' and 'Early Onward', for early varieties, 'Poppet' and 'Tristar' as maincrop and 'Sugar Bon', Sugar Rae', and Sugar Snap' for mange tout or sugar snap varieties.

Peas grow and cling to supports (or their own stems) with tendrils which are modified leaves. The early crops are dwarf and usually yield less than the taller maincrop varieties.

Pea seeds can be wrinkled - which often produce a sweeter but less hardy pea and smooth - which produce less sweet but hardy crops. Mangetout types have flat pods which are eaten whole before the peas mature.

Peas are a cool season crop and grow best at 13-18 deg Celcius. The flowers cannot stand frost so planting times can be critical as the flowers are needed to create the pods.

Peas need an open site which is fertile with well dug earth. They will not tolerate cold, wet sites or drought. Before planting, work plenty of well rotted compost into the soil.

Plant peas well before frosts are expected (10 weeks allowed is best) and avoid mid summer sowing as germination is affected badly by high temperatures. Early plantings can be made under cloches or as soon as the danger of frost has passed.

When you are ready to sow, create a flat bottomed trench about 20 cm deep. Line it with newspaper to help retain moisture (or old carpet but as peas are annuals this needs to be removed after harvesting). Peas require little fertiliser as they have nodules in their

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