Comments on: What I’ve learned about Peas

By: Gemma

Gemma — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 11:41:50 +0000

Thank you Karin,

I will certainly check out the two magazines that you suggested. I have Carol Klein’s book at home, it really is a nice one isn’t it?

I haven’t read either of the magazines that you suggested before – so thank you! I have occasionally read Gardener’s World which seems to have a bit too much of everything else and not enough fruit and veg. I bought Grow Your Own once which is definitely the right ethos for me but I was distracted by quite a lot of trivial mistakes in it (spelling and formatting). Maybe it has got better now though!

Thank you!

Gemma

By: Karin

Karin — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:53:13 +0000

Hello, Gemma, I hope you don’t mind me telling you about gardening magazines I find useful. If you want something that tells you how to grow food, I’d recommend Kitchen Garden magazine http://www.kitchengarden.co.uk/ , which I bought for several years. If like me, you are interested in growing food with the environment in mind, then try the Organic Gardening Magazine http://www.organicgardeningmagazine.co.uk/

My local W H Smith stocks a reasonable supply of these each month. I don’t know about other newsagents as I live in a one newsagent town.

I think good, easy to understand but well-informed gardening books are the best, but you need to make time to sit down and study them. The book that accompanied Carol Klein’s tv programme, ‘Grow Your own Veg’ is colourful and easy to read, but also has lots of info and good advice, so that could be a good one to start with.

By: Gemma

Gemma — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:23:53 +0000

Hello mtp,

I enjoy growing vegetables in two little beds in my back garden and am on the list for an allotment (I was number 64, I have now risen to twentysomething, there is hope that I may get one oneday!) I recently discovered your site and am reading through past posts a bit every day (I am in January 06 now). Anyway, my point. It is my birthday on Monday and I hope to get a gardening magazine subscription, you post sometimes about things you’ve seen in magazines (and things you’ve written!) so I was wondering which one you would suggest I got. I mainly like veg, fruit and salad and don’t grow many ornamental things.

Hope you can help me out! Keep up the good work,

Gemma

By: Karin

Karin — Tue, 08 Jul 2008 11:36:44 +0000

Good idea, Matron. I always use Aqua Dulce and try and sow my braod bean seed in November or January, to avoid blackfly, but I’m finding the pods aren’t always full, presumably because they’re in flowerbefore there are too many bees about. I don’t entirely avoid blackfly this way, anyway.

Maybe I should try a late variety as well and be vigilant for blackfly.

By: Matron

Matron — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 09:02:41 +0000

You make an interesting and valid point. I have the same with my broad beans this year, one older traditional variety and a new one for this year. A good idea to have an early variety and a late variety for a longer growing season and no glut.

By: penny

penny — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 18:20:04 +0000

Pea Moth,

So what I have learnt is not to ignore advice about netting and pea moth. Brought hom ebountiful crop today only to have to throw away 2/3rds. The only thing is though I hate it that all the plot is ending up netted and even in blcak it looks ugly.
Off now to pick cut flowers before they go to seed. Some lovely Malope trifida filling the sitting room.
Regards
Penny

By: Suegee

Suegee — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 07:09:57 +0000

You mentioned carrots! I don’t know what happened to ours but I am now on the third sowing. Nothing germinated yet last year we had a good crop. I despair since carrots fresh from the ground are such a great joy and my grandchildren love them with all their lovely ‘feathers’ on top. Hope your little jackson has some doting grandparents around

By: Lauren

Lauren — Sun, 06 Jul 2008 05:16:29 +0000

Are you shelling-blanching-freezing? or freezing whole? or some other thing? I have a shelling variety and a sugar snap variety, and am likely to have too many of both.

By: Karin

Karin — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 17:21:38 +0000

You’re continually learning when you garden, which helps to make it interesting, if a little frustrating. Our pea pods have justed started to set, so we are hopeful.

By: Ben

Ben — Sat, 05 Jul 2008 12:44:56 +0000

Peas are a delight to grow!
It is interesting to hear about your experiences with the different varieties maturing at different times. I have only grown peas that climb high up a support structure of some kind, so have placed them away from veggies that require lots of sun (I make up for the nitrogen with green manure crops).

My Grandmother never minded if we ate peas off the bushes (as many as we wanted) as long as we never ate from the bowl that she had shelled for eating! (then we were in trouble!)

I hope next year proves to be a better crop!