Peas are available in a wide range of varieties, including the popular mange tout and sugar snap cultivars. They are quick growing vegetables and will be ready for harvesting as soon as 11 weeks after sowing. Once you’ve tasted home grown peas, fresh from your garden, you’ll never buy them from the grocery shop again! 

Step-by-step guide to growing your own peas :

• Peas grow best in sunny, cool areas of the garden, where the soil drains well.
• Prepare the soil beforehand by mixing in compost, general fertiliser and a handful of agricultural lime – peas like slightly alkaline soil.
• Dig a trench 5cm deep and 15cm wide and sow the seeds about 7cm apart. Cover with soil and firm down lightly.
• Keep the soil moist by watering regularly in dry weather. Once the plants are about 30cm tall, it helps to cover the soil with a layer of mulch to keep the roots cool.
• Peas are climbing plants, so they’ll need something to twirl up against. You can use a trellis, netting or chicken wire against a boundary wall.
• Harvest your peas when they are ripe, and before the pods lose their deep green colour. Mange tout peas should be harvested when the pods are about 7.5cm long. Eat or refrigerate them as soon as possible after picking, as the sugar in the peas (which gives them their sweetness) turns to starch very quickly.