Have you got a rhubarb plant growing in your garden or have you a family member or friend got one growing that you would like to take a cutting from? Well it is actually quite easy to take a cutting from a rhubarb plant. Here we will help you with the question of when to split rhubarb crowns in the UK.
Rhubarb can be an amazing fruit to grow in the garden producing bumper crops of fruit from around April to the end of July. Gardeners say you are not supposed to pick Rhubarb from the end of July as this is when the nutrients go back into the soil and feed the crown – so that is one rule that I have personally stuck to myself.
Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book
Are you starting an allotment or planning on growing your own fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a kitchen garden? If so we highly recommend the book Allotment Month By Month. This does exactly what it does on the cover to help you with what you should be doing in the allotment and kitchen garden each month. Below you can see the link for Amazon where you can purchase the book directly. This book is extremely popular with all allotment holders as you will read in the reviews:-
You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.
Looking after your rhubarb plant is extremely easy all you have to do to look after it is give it plenty of water while it is growing. Rhubarb is made up mainly of water. So if you give it plenty it will respond well to the watering. If you don’t water it in dry spells it will just die back and shrivel up – which no one will want.
If you do end up picking bumper crops of rhubarb you can always store it by freezing it and using it as and when you need it. When picking rhubarb though you don’t want to pick it all from the plant. Leave around one third of the stalks on the plant.
At the end of July stop picking the rhubarb, however tempting it is to pick some of those beautiful sour sticks. Just leave the plant to naturally die back.
To split a rhubarb plant you should not do this until November. This is because the plant will have gone into a dormant state where it is not growing – it literally has gone into hibernation. The first thing to do to split the rhubarb crown is to dig up the plant. When digging up the rhubarb plant go gently as the roots are not very strong but go quite deep. You will need to dig a big circle round the rhubarb crown.
You can then get a spade and split the crown into pieces. You need to keep part of the thick root and at least one growing point in each section. This can then be planted in it’s new postilion. Water the plant in well. Keep an eye on the plant through winter and give it a drink of water if the winter is dry. You are best not picking the rhubarb from the plant in the first year after splitting the rhubarb. Let it settle in well. So on the second year you should get a great crop of rhubarb.
When growing strawberries you are watching them everyday to see when they ripen. Sometimes you may pick them early before the birds can eat them but you should not do this! Here we will tell you how to ripen Strawberries.
The main reason why you should not pick Strawberries before they are ripe is because they will not continue ripening once you pick them they need to be at there best on the plant when you pick them. This is when the Strawberries will be at the juiciest.
One way to help ripen strawberries is if you look at them they will ripen on the top of the strawberry, once the top is ripe just gently turn the strawberry round so the white side is now on top – do this without snapping the stem of the plant.
Make sure that you keep the strawberries protected from the birds at all times as they love to eat the red tasty strawberries. Each morning check your patch for slugs as well because you will not want them leaving holes in the fruit.
Your strawberries should start to turn red and ripen around 4-5 weeks once the flowers have opened. When the first couple have ripened you will start to be getting handfuls of strawberries every day from your plants. Make sure you have plenty of plants so that you get a constant supply of strawberries for a few weeks. Once they have fruited though you will not get another batch unfortunately.
As the strawberries are growing they will need watering more regular so that it helps them swell and plump up. Make sure that you water the Strawberries early in the morning and late at the evening as you don’t want them sat in water for to long when the sun is out or it will rot them.
You can never have enough strawberries in your garden, i’m sure you will agree with that statement. You certainly will not be sharing these with your friends and family.
Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book
Are you starting an allotment or planning on growing your own fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a kitchen garden? If so we highly recommend the book Allotment Month By Month. This does exactly what it does on the cover to help you with what you should be doing in the allotment and kitchen garden each month. Below you can see the link for Amazon where you can purchase the book directly. This book is extremely popular with all allotment holders as you will read in the reviews:-
You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.
When you have an allotment or start to look at putting your name down for an allotment it can be extremely exciting. However, when you take on your allotment it can be challenging, exciting, rewarding, stressful, and relaxing. Having an allotment though is the best thing around as the rewards outway all the negatives. From sowing your seeds, watching them germinate, and then producing crops is an amazing feeling. When you harvest your first crop and taste them it is so delicious as it’s so natural with no added chemicals on them to preserve them. Finding the best allotment books can be stressful.
There are many ways that you can learn about gardening online videos, training, websites, and books. There is no better way to learn about gardening is from allotment books. You can find the information at your fingertips. You can save the allotment books in your garden shed where you can just find the gardening tips and advice when you need to refer to the allotment book.
You could soon be going from a novice to a green finger in no time at all and growing some fantastic fruit, vegetables, herbs plus lots more to share with all the family, friends and neighbours.
Here in this article, we will be looking at the top 12 allotment gardening books available to purchase online. Sharing reviews and links to be able to purchase them from Amazon. Which allotment book will you be adding to your collection?
Here we list all the best allotment books for starting an allotment or for someone who would like to learn a little bit more. If you are looking at making some amazing recipes out of your allotment produce check out our top 12 allotment cookbooks here. If it’s not just allotment books you are after and just gardening in general you can check out the top 10 gardening books for beginners here.
If you are looking for the best Allotment book on the market, this has to be the best one that is available and is highly recommended by everyone that purchases the book.
The Allotment Month by Month Book is all about the produce you can grow at the allotment and in the kitchen garden all year round, yes you really can grow produce all year round!. This is a newer edition of the popular book which was out previously so if you are looking for an updated book this will help you. The allotment book gives you information on over 60 items that you can grow at home. This gardening book goes into lots of detail giving you all the information and tips you need to grow successful fruit and vegetables.
Purchase the book:
Are you looking at purchasing this allotment book for yourself or someone special this Christmas, their birthday, or as a gift? You can see below how much this book is currently selling on Amazon. You can click the link below where it will take you straight to Amazon where you can purchase this book safely and securely from a shop that you can depend on.
This gardening book has an average rating of 4.8 out of 5. It has a 5* percentage of 84% from over 3000 purchases. It is a very popular book for gardeners. Here is what some of the purchases have said about the book:-
This is a great book. Easy to navigate and monthly step by step starightforward advice. I’ve had an allotment for 3 years and have a multitude of reference books. This is by far the best and is the one I now go to if want to check what I should be doing, when and how! Brilliant book.
My husband bought me this book as I have just acquired an allotment. It is excellent, as it has lots of relevant information for a novice like myself and there are many pictures to enhance each page. I like the fact that it tells you what to do, sow and plant each month and it also has a page or two about every vegetable and fruit. I am currently using it and enjoy learning from it. I would definitely recommend it. A great informative book.
Are you looking for an Allotment book that will help you plan and learn ahead? Well the RHS Allotment Handbook and Planner is the book you need to help you do this. This allotment book has been approved by the RHS and it is written by their experts in the allotment and gardening world so you know all the information will be valid and correct. This allotment book will provide you with all the valuable month-by-month information you need to learn about planting schedules. This will help show you when is the most valid time to plant your crops down at the allotment to get the best fruit and vegetables.
Purchase the book:
Are you looking at purchasing this allotment book for yourself or someone special this Christmas, their birthday, or as a gift? You can see below how much this book is currently selling on Amazon. You can click the link below where it will take you straight to Amazon where you can purchase this book safely and securely from a shop that you can depend on.
Reviews of the book:-
This gardening book has an average rating of 4.6 out of 5. It has a 5* percentage of 78% from over 500 purchases. It is a very popular book for gardeners. Here is what some of the purchases have said about the book:-
Bought this book with great intention but haven’t managed anything more than a thorough browse as yet. Will hopefully get more use out of it in the forthcoming year.
Definitely the best allotment boom out there – not preachy or dictatorial like so many others. Considers the economic considerations of growing and eating your own food, makes millions of suggestions but never says “do this coz that’s how it’s done and that’s it shut up and don’t argue” like so many other books do. Good advice on all the veg – even less familiar types, and even some flowers. No filler – every page is useful. the only allotment book you’ll ever need.
Are you a new gardener or have you just taken on an allotment? Well, the Allotment Handbook will be a great book for you to start off with purchasing. This allotment book will guide you through all the stages of growing your own vegetables and your fruit. You certainly will not be buying fresh produce ever again once you have tried growing your own fruit and vegetables nothing tastes any better than your own produce. This gardening book takes you through all the different stages of gardening from sowing, planting, feeding, mulching plus lots more to try. This gardening book is definitely ideal for a new gardener or someone that is wanting to learn about getting Greenfingers.
Purchase the book:
Are you looking at purchasing this allotment book for yourself or someone special this Christmas, their birthday, or as a gift? You can see below how much this book is currently selling on Amazon. You can click the link below where it will take you straight to Amazon where you can purchase this book safely and securely from a shop that you can depend on.
Reviews of the book:-
This gardening book has an average rating of 4.7 out of 5. It has a 5* percentage of 80% from over 400 purchases. It is a very popular book for gardeners. Here is what some of the purchases have said about the book:-
Four stars as I wanted greater depth of information. Useful nevertheless. Classic DK publication with clear, concise articles to give you ideas about where to start, varieties to grow, troubleshooting guide and illustrations on how to do things.
Super book, great companion for the half hour allotment. Lots of ideas from planning your allotment to what to do with your produce
Are you a novice allotmenteer? Well, check out The Complete Allotment Guide. If you are planning on getting an allotment or down on a waiting list for an allotment then get researching what you need to do. This allotment book shows you exactly how to get onto that allotment waiting list. It advises you on how to get started with your allotment from the daunting task of getting your plot to getting it all up and running. It helps you get the best from your plot and how to get the best produce from it.
This allotment book will also guide you on how to build compost bins, structures like raised beds plus lots more to get an amazing looking allotment.
Purchase the book:
Are you looking at purchasing this allotment book for yourself or someone special this Christmas, their birthday, or as a gift? You can see below how much this book is currently selling on Amazon. You can click the link below where it will take you straight to Amazon where you can purchase this book safely and securely from a shop that you can depend on.
Do you like month-by-month guides so you are knowing what to do at the allotment in advance? If so then the Allotment Almanac Month By Month on the plot is an ideal book for you. In this gardening book you can find out gardening tips and advice, things that need to be done on the plot this month, allotment tales plus lots more. Hopefully, with all the information provided in this book, you will be able to find out lots of things that will make you grow some amazing vegetables and fruit to share with all your family and friends.
Purchase the book:
Are you looking at purchasing this allotment book for yourself or someone special this Christmas, their birthday, or as a gift? You can see below how much this book is currently selling on Amazon. You can click the link below where it will take you straight to Amazon where you can purchase this book safely and securely from a shop that you can depend on.
Reviews of the book:-
This gardening book has an average rating of 4.6 out of 5. It has a 5* percentage of 76% from over 150 purchases. It is a very popular book for gardeners. Here is what some of the purchases have said about the book:-
I do not have an allotment, but a very large garden, the veg plot alone is bigger than most peoples gardens. I wanted a month by month planting guide. It is a small book, does not take up a lot of space, some handy tips, have never had any luck germinating carrotts, but Terry said to line trench with compost, plant seeds, then lay on more compost, give the seeds the same conditions as if they were grown in a seed tray, so have tried that. Proof of the carrott hopefully in the eating! Written in a light hearted way, easy to understand
What a lovely little book. Takes you through month by month and really well illustrated . Really pleased with it.
Are you a fan of Charles Dowding and follow all his social media? Well, Charles has his own book available to purchase called Charles Dowding’s Veg Journal: Expert no-dig advice, month by month. Charles Dowding is famous for his no-dig beds which a lot of gardeners are now following on their allotments and in the gardens. You can be learning how to grow tomatoes, herbs, carrots. A lot of the information in this book is from the courses that he teaches sharing his expert knowledge to gain bumper crops with you.
Purchase the book:
Are you looking at purchasing this allotment book for yourself or someone special this Christmas, their birthday, or as a gift? You can see below how much this book is currently selling on Amazon. You can click the link below where it will take you straight to Amazon where you can purchase this book safely and securely from a shop that you can depend on.
Reviews of the book:-
This gardening book has an average rating of 4.8 out of 5. It has a 5* percentage of 86% from over 950 purchases. It is a very popular book for gardeners. Here is what some of the purchases have said about the book:-
As a new allotment holder I was looking for a single point of reference to help me start growing. Boy did I find it! This book has become my go to guide, seeing me through my first year like a guiding hand. I can’t recommend it enough for new growers or people who have done lots of growing but are prepared to consider new techniques. No dig does work. On my clay soil allotment in my first year I laid down some compost and now have courgettes, carrots, beans, peas, asparagus turnips, fruit trees, sweetcorn and there’s more to come. It is so true that the soil is better undisturbed. This book also has useful advice about what to grow and when, even if you aren’t doing no dig. Honestly invaluable.
I have been looking for a way to manage my notes about our veg garden. I seem to have lots of bits of paper & seed packets all over the place. This little book is a chance to put some order into our veg plot plan. Lots of useful advice as well as note pages for each week to help plan your growing season.
Alan Titchmarsh is a well-known gardener that has been the face of gardening for many years on the TV and radio. Alan Titchmarsh has man gardening books available to purchase online but this book Alan Titchmarsh How to Garden: Allotment Gardening is a great book to get you started on your allotment and kitchen garden. In this allotment book, Alan will teach you all about the basics that you need to know in gardening and being at the allotment. This book also has a seasonal calendar in the book which you can follow to grow your own produce in the garden and allotment.
Purchase the book:
Are you looking at purchasing this allotment book for yourself or someone special this Christmas, their birthday, or as a gift? You can see below how much this book is currently selling on Amazon. You can click the link below where it will take you straight to Amazon where you can purchase this book safely and securely from a shop that you can depend on.
Reviews of the book:-
This gardening book has an average rating of 4.7 out of 5. It has a 5* percentage of 76% from over 190 purchases. It is a very popular book for gardeners. Here is what some of the purchases have said about the book:-
What can I say other than a superb publication from the king of gardening. Here he applies his extensive knowledge to getting the most from your allotment with such enthusiasm you can’t wait to get down your plot and start digging and planting! All bases are covered and presented in a way that the complete novice can understand, but also, for the more experienced grower, provides useful info for example if growing a particular vegetable for the first time. This book won’t disappoint , thank you Mr T.
This is great..Thank you Alan Titchmarsh fir a wonderfully helpfully book on allotment s…I recommend thus to anyone just starting an allotment ..great value too
This allotment book was released in 2019 and provides you with step-by-step guides and techniques on growing all year round in the allotment and kitchen garden. It provides you with information from sowing, growing, and harvesting. It advises you on the best places to grow your produce and all about crop rotation. Follow the easy instructions in this book to produce some great produce at your allotment.
Purchase the book:
Are you looking at purchasing this allotment book for yourself or someone special this Christmas, their birthday, or as a gift? You can see below how much this book is currently selling on Amazon. You can click the link below where it will take you straight to Amazon where you can purchase this book safely and securely from a shop that you can depend on.
Reviews of the book:-
This gardening book has an average rating of 5 out of 5. It has a 5* percentage of 100% from 5 purchases. It is a very popular book for gardeners.
Are you an allotment dummie? Well, this book Allotment Gardening For Dummies is the book for you. From the popular book range, they now have a book for new gardeners out there or people who would like to learn more about allotments and gardening, as there is always something new to learn. In this book, you will learn about how to get your allotment, decide what to grow on your allotment, and advise on how to store and cook the produce that you have grown. You certainly will not be an allotment dummie after reading this book.
Purchase the book:
Are you looking at purchasing this allotment book for yourself or someone special this Christmas, their birthday, or as a gift? You can see below how much this book is currently selling on Amazon. You can click the link below where it will take you straight to Amazon where you can purchase this book safely and securely from a shop that you can depend on.
Reviews of the book:-
This gardening book has an average rating of 4.6 out of 5. It has a 5* percentage of 71% from over 150 purchases. It is a very popular book for gardeners. Here is what some of the purchases have said about the book:-
Truly amazing. I have a lot of gardening books (and have reviewed quite a few) which to be honest some of them, I get bored and fed up with the information (sometimes it is too much info or not needed information; and sometimes I find some of the authors it would rather it be about them than the actual subject at hand). This book, however is not one of them. Amazingly clear, no nonsense information on so many subjects herbs, flowers, fruit and veg, seed saving, maintaining an allotment, how to inspire people particularly children into growing food, how to look after the soil (digging method but also no digging as well), weeds and what to do about them, I think all the veg and fruit and herbs you want and need to grow. Don’t be fooled by the ‘for dummies’, it is a superb book high up there among other books either within the for dummies books series or elsewhere. I don’t want to make a different point here, but I think the times we are living in show and bring to light the importance of growing food and the value of communities and coming together as active citizens, neighbours, friends and family and helping people and looking after people for a better future.
Do you have little time to spare but would like to do some gardening? Well the book RHS Half Hour Allotment: Timely Tips for the Most Productive Plot Ever is the best book for you. This book gives you advice on how to to spend the little time that you have in the garden and make the most of it. It gives you information on how to spend 30 mins a day in the garden with some weekends off to enjoy yourself. You could soon be growing some fantastic produce at home or the allotment with this time saving book.
Purchase the book:
Are you looking at purchasing this allotment book for yourself or someone special this Christmas, their birthday, or as a gift? You can see below how much this book is currently selling on Amazon. You can click the link below where it will take you straight to Amazon where you can purchase this book safely and securely from a shop that you can depend on.
Reviews of the book:-
This gardening book has an average rating of 4.6 out of 5. It has a 5* percentage of 76% from over 140 purchases. It is a very popular book for gardeners. Here is what some of the purchases have said about the book:-
I have a full time job, a preschooler and a primary schooler. Using some of the tips from this book I’ve managed to also juggle a 5 pole allotment by gradually cultivating it in short bursts little and often.
As others have said, there are better beginner books out there if you’re looking for how-to guides for core skills, but this brings a refreshing angle and doesn’t toe the usual allotment advice of doing everything from seed and building your shed from salvaged wood by hand. It’s much more practical for people who have a lot of non-gardening commitments.
Great book for anyone thinking of growing stuff not just allotment holders. Shows what can be achieved with half an hour a day, in a garden.
If you are looking for a gardening book that is written by the professionals well check out RHS Step-by-Step Veg Patch: A Foolproof Guide to Every Stage of Growing Fruit and Veg. This has been written by the RHS gardening experts and covers over 50 different fruit and vegetables to try and grow. This book is the perfect allotment book for the beginner or the expert gardener. You will always learn something new from this book. With the amount of people that have bought it, it shows that it is a great book to buy.
Purchase the book:
Are you looking at purchasing this allotment book for yourself or someone special this Christmas, their birthday, or as a gift? You can see below how much this book is currently selling on Amazon. You can click the link below where it will take you straight to Amazon where you can purchase this book safely and securely from a shop that you can depend on.
Reviews of the book:-
This gardening book has an average rating of 4.8 out of 5. It has a 5* percentage of 81% from over 1400 purchases. It is a very popular book for gardeners. Here is what some of the purchases have said about the book:-
The BEST fruit and vegetable growing book currently out on the market!! I purchased veg in one bed but found it was really vague and didn’t cover much so decided to try this book. It’s really brilliant as it has lots of detail from the different varieties of each vegetable to how to weed and separate seedlings. Great information on common diseases and how to avoid them. I also like the section about identifying and detecting pests with pictures. Highly recommend for both beginners and avid growers. GREAT BUY. Well done RHS – not just another reference book but nice and user friendly!
A lovely well-organised book with chapters on growing space indoors and out, planning plots for beginners and families and two pages for each vegetable so easy to see everything required – soil preference, varieties, sowing under cover, when to sow, spacing, sowing outside, how many to put in a 40cm container or in a row, thinning, routine care with feeding and pest control, time to harvest, when to harvest, how to harvest, all with 11-12 lovely coloured photos of each step.
Do you follow Huw Richards gardening channels and watch his blogs? Now you can purchase his book Veg in One Bed: How to Grow an Abundance of Food in One Raised Bed, Month by Month. This book is great for those of you who have little space to grow things. Follow the month by month guide detailing what you need to do when and why. This book gives you detailed information on how to grow the best crops in the garden.
Purchase the book:
Are you looking at purchasing this allotment book for yourself or someone special this Christmas, their birthday, or as a gift? You can see below how much this book is currently selling on Amazon. You can click the link below where it will take you straight to Amazon where you can purchase this book safely and securely from a shop that you can depend on.
Reviews of the book:-
This gardening book has an average rating of 4.7 out of 5. It has a 5* percentage of 80% from over 4000 purchases. It is a very popular book for gardeners. Here is what some of the purchases have said about the book:-
We have been growing our own vegetables in raised beds for the last 2 years. We live in the west of Scotland and have less sun and more rain. We don’t have a glass house to grow seedlings. We’ve learnt alot over this time and alot of it has been learnt by trial and error. Previous books provide some guidance, so do experienced friends and of course…Monty :)! We think this book adds alot to our basic information because we are not greenfingers in any shape or form! Sometimes you do need something to be a bit prescriptive and tell you exactly what to do, WHEN to do it and in what order. This is what this book is good for. It appreciates that lots of us are city folkies with limited space but wanting to do the best with what we have. We’ve had pretty good crops of beans, peas,kale, spinach, salad leaves, carrots, onions, garlic, chives, courgettes, potatoes, blueberries and raspberries this season but we’re looking forward to next year with a much better plan in our heads! Recommended reading
Gardening is one of the most therputic things that you can do in your spare time. It is good for the mind. body and soul and you get fresh vegetables from it. However reading is also good and you can read up on the best things to grow and get lots of gardning tips and advice from all the gardening books we have suggested purchasing.
It’s always great to look around at the different gardening books on sale and what the customers have to actually say about it. You don’t always want to spend money on purchasing a product if you know it’s not going to be very good.
We have obviously listed 12 allotment books above and they have all got fantastic reviews. From the books we have isted Huw Richards book is a very popular book with some amazing reviews but the book I most like is the first book which is called Allotment month by month.
What to look for in an allotment book
The main things you want to look for when purchasing an allotment book is the information provided. Pictures are great in a book but you need information as well. You need information that you understand and digest and use. You don’t want gardening books which will go over your head and you won’t understand what they are talking about. Have a look around and purchase the best allotment book that you will understand and be able to use.
If you speak to someone about growing there own fruit and vegetables if you ask them what is one of the best thing to grow and they will say peas. There is nothing better than growing your own peas. People who grow peas will tell you that they actually never make it off the allotment into the pan as you will have ended up eating them all as you pick them
The reason why peas are so nice when you pick them is that the sugars start to turn to starch and they all start too loose there flavor. So if you do plan on boiling them make sure you pick them and boil them straight away.
In this section we will explain how to grow peas at home and the allotment in th UK and the rest of the world. Peas are extremely easy to grow and you can get a good crop if you do it right.
Peas are like potatoes when you are sowing them you have earlies, second earlies and main crop peas. The best type to grow are definitely the early variety as they do not take long to grow compared to the second earlies and main crop. So if you can try and find the early variety of pea. These can be sown from Spring all the way up to Summer for a great harvest.
Allotment and Kitchen Garden Book
Are you starting an allotment or planning on growing your own fruit, vegetables, herbs, and flowers in a kitchen garden? If so we highly recommend the book Allotment Month By Month. This does exactly what it does on the cover to help you with what you should be doing in the allotment and kitchen garden each month. Below you can see the link for Amazon where you can purchase the book directly. This book is extremely popular with all allotment holders as you will read in the reviews:-
You can check out all the allotment and kitchen garden books we recommend here.
When to plant Peas
Peas are best grown at intervals so that you have an endless supply of them all through the year. Here we will give you the best times to plant those peas through the year outside or in pots.
You can also freeze peas so that if you do end up growing too many and don’t want to share them you can freeze them until you need them. Below you can find the best time to sow peas – This is for the UK climate though.
Sow
March to July
Harvest
June to October
Varieties of Peas
There are many varieties of peas worth trying to grow. Here we have listed all our recommendations for growing the best peas in your garden or allotment. Sugar snap peas are a great type to grow and extremely tasty.
The best place to grow peas is well prepared soil that has been dug over beforehand. You can do this by adding well rotted manure or compost a month beforehand. Peas don’t like hot weather so make sure they are kept watered in the warm weather. You can mulch around the bases to keep in moisture. Do no plant peas if the ground is wet as this can cause the peas to rot and you will loose your crop.
How to sow Peas
When sowing peas this can be done either straight in the ground or in pots first. You could ask your child or grandchild to help as the peas you are planting are easy to handle.
First you will need to prepare your trench by digging it over, add compost and well rotted manure to help improve the soil and get better crops. The soil also needs warming up before planting – do not be tempted to plant peas in the cold weather as they will just not germinate. To warm the soil up you can put a sheet of plastic over the ground this will warm the soil up.
Once you have sorted a trench out you can sprinkle water into the trench and sow the seeds in the ground. Make sure you sow the pea seeds around 5cm apart.
Make sure you protect your pea seeds from mice as they like to dig them up and eat them. Also when the shoots start to pop through pigeons will eat the tops off them so protect them with netting.
If you are wanting a long harvest of peas through the year you can keep sowing some every 4 weeks so that you get a continuous harvest through the year.
If you are wanting to sow peas in pots you can sow a few seeds in each plant pot. When the plants are around 7cm these can be planted out in the ground at around 5cm apart.
You can find out how to plant pea seeds here in the video below:-
Caring for the crop
To care for your pea plants make sure that you put support up before behind your plants as when they start growing they will need to cling onto something. The ideal choice is netting or chicken wire as this is strong and can be reused.
Make sure your peas are protected against the pigeons attacking the shoots and also the mice digging up the seeds. Once the plants are big enough to handle they should not get attacked by the birds anymore.
How to harvest
This is the most favorite part harvesting the peas. Make sure that you keep picking the peas regularly and not leaving them too long as they will loose there taste and become hard. When picking peas start at the bottom of the bush and work your way up.
Once harvest is over and the plant has stopped producing peas snip it off at the bottom of the plant and leave the roots in the ground as the nutrients from the white nodules will go back into the soil and help improve it ready for the next crop of plants you decide to put in.
Pests
There are quite a few pests that can attack the peas:-
Mice – these like to devour the pea seeds in the ground. You can use mice traps to catch the mice.
Pigeons and birds:- These will nibble the tops of the growing shoots. Protect the pea plants from birds by using netting.
Pea Moth:- caterpillars can develop inside the pod of a pea and they will eat all the peas that are growing they could even destroy all of your crops in the garden. You can protect by using insect proof mesh to look after the crops.
Diseases
The only disease that peas are prone to are powdery mildew. You can protect your peas by purchasing varieties which are resistant to this.
Facts
The Uk is the largest producer of peas in the world.
Freezing
You can freeze peas as soon as they have been picked to lock in the flavor. Defrost them when you are ready to use them.
Cooking
As well as cooking the peas which will taste delicious you can cook the shoots and side shoots of the pea plant. These will even surprise you by tasting like a fresh pea.
Growing Questions
Do peas need to climb?
You do need supports to grow peas up, this is because if they trail on the floor they risk been getting eaten by mice and pests.
What is the best way to grow peas?
The best way to grow peas is in a trench which has been prepared earlier and let them grow up some netting to support them.
What month do you plant peas?
You can plant peas from late March all the way upto July. Just make sure that you don’t plant in wet ground as they peas will rot.
Do peas need a trellis?
Peas do need some sort of support to grow up.
Should I soak peas before planting?
Yes you can soak the peas before planting. Ideally soak the pea seeds for around 12 hours before planting this will make them ready to germinate straight away.
Do peas need full sun?
Ideally you want to grow your pas somewhere that gets around 6 hours of sun a day to help them grow well.
Is it too late to plant peas?
You can grow peas right the way up to July in the UK for a late harvest in September/October
Are peas easy to grow?
Peas are extremely easy to grow in the garden. As long as you protect them when they are growing against the mice and pigeons you should be ok.
How many peas should I plant?
You can plant around 30-40 seeds per person. You usually get quite a lot of pea seeds in a packet.
How do you make peas grow faster?
Keeping the ground warmer and keeping the plants moist will help the plants grow well.
Why arent my peas growing?
Check the ground to see if the peas are still there mice could have eaten your plants also they may have rotted.
What is the best way to plant peas?
The best way to plant peas is in the ground in a trench.
