pea and bean family

Peas

Pisum sativum · Easy

A cool-season climbing crop, with early and maincrop varieties and edible-pod options.

Sow

Sow from late winter to early July; hardy varieties may be autumn sown.

Usually direct sown or transplanted from guttering/modules.

May to September, often about three months after sowing.

Practical growing notes

Sweet harvests early in the season and a clear handover into summer crops.

Protect seed from mice and pigeons; provide support before plants flop.

Keep the bed moving

One of the hardiest leafy crops, with regular picking possible through winter and into spring.

A robust cut-and-come-again leaf crop that can bridge summer, autumn and the following spring.

A succession-friendly salad crop, especially useful as loose-leaf or cut-and-come-again types.

A quick cool-season leaf crop for spring and autumn, with repeat pickings from small sowings.