SOWING MANGETOUT OR SUGAR SNAP PEAS FOR PEA SHOOTS

I've tried growing peas in my garden borders or containers before now and haven't had a great deal of success.  Either I don't get enough peas to make it worth while, which really is what happened in 2012 when I tried to grow them in a container, or they are mildewed, or something.  To be honest, I begrudge the space they take up in a border because although I love reaping and eating the rewards of my labour (that's a laugh!  I'm a really lazy gardener) I want my garden to be filled with pretty things, and pretty things peas are not.  However, sowing peas for pea shoots to eat with salad is another matter entirely. 

Sugarsnap peas grow in 2012

Sowing peas for pea shoots is a relatively new idea to me.  I only heard about it a couple of years ago.  It's so easy.  What I do is I stick some peas 2" below compost surface level, a few inches apart, into a good sized pot (I've just used a 10" pot) and wait for them to germinate and grow.   They do that quite quickly in warm weather.  When they get a few inches tall, pick off the tops and eat the leaves!  And keep doing that.  Pick and come again peas.  They're lovely and sweet in a salad as they taste just like freshly picked peas.  I'm always a bit unsure about which type of pea would be best for this so I do this with sugar snaps or mangetout. 

 

Some people grow them in a shallow tray but I have this gut feeling that it isn't a great idea.  When I grow them in a deeper pot, they have access to more nutrients and I feel they will keep growing and I will be able to keep on picking shoots for longer.  I'm no expert so I'll leave you to decide.