Shooting Peas
One of the earliest crops I grow each year is a planter of pea shoots. They grow really quickly and make a lovely fresh-tasting addition to the winter salad leaves which seem rather jaded by now.
I use up any out-of-date seed, or seeds I've saved from last years' main crops. You can also use dried shop-bought peas. Some people find soaking the seeds overnight before planting helps but I don't bother - just sow, then water thoroughly. You can use pea, sugar snap or mangetout seeds.
Because it's only the shoots that will be harvested you can sow them really close together in a tub of compost. Each tip can be cut and will re-grow several times which extends the harvest and makes it quite economical.
Discussing this with Yvonne last year, she told me; "I've been using a packet of dried peas from Tesco for my pea shoots, but in the Kitchen Garden magazine there was an article comparing the taste of various varieties including supermarket dried peas. Sugar Ann came out well, and as we are growing those this year I'll leave a few plants unpicked so we have some peas for next winter's shoots."
Later sowings of your main pea crops outside will also yield one crop of pea shoots. This has the added benefit of making the plants fork and grow two stems instead of one, doubling the potential harvest.
I use up any out-of-date seed, or seeds I've saved from last years' main crops. You can also use dried shop-bought peas. Some people find soaking the seeds overnight before planting helps but I don't bother - just sow, then water thoroughly. You can use pea, sugar snap or mangetout seeds.
Because it's only the shoots that will be harvested you can sow them really close together in a tub of compost. Each tip can be cut and will re-grow several times which extends the harvest and makes it quite economical.
Discussing this with Yvonne last year, she told me; "I've been using a packet of dried peas from Tesco for my pea shoots, but in the Kitchen Garden magazine there was an article comparing the taste of various varieties including supermarket dried peas. Sugar Ann came out well, and as we are growing those this year I'll leave a few plants unpicked so we have some peas for next winter's shoots."
Later sowings of your main pea crops outside will also yield one crop of pea shoots. This has the added benefit of making the plants fork and grow two stems instead of one, doubling the potential harvest.
Submitted by Jane, plot 9
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