Sunday, November 6, 2011

Pea season Officially Over

Sigh...no more pea harvest for us this year. All the plants had withered as we had several hot days here. It was not a  successful pea season for us this year compared previous years. But my boys managed to eat peas for lunch and dinner everyday during pea harvest season in our garden which made meal time a lot more easier. They be less fussy with their meal if we mix it with peas. Now, I have to think of a new vegetables that can be my boys favourite green food. Rayyan eats anything so its not a problem. However, the big brother Ilhan when he turns 4 years old, he changed to be a bit picky on what is in his plate.
Telephone pea bloom.
We have been growing Telephone peas for 3 years and it has always been the best producer in our garden. Telephone pea is a climbing pea. We got to collect some seeds barely enough for next sowing season. Many of the seeds germinate in the pods before we can dry and store seeds properly.
We grow purple-podded peas for the first time this year. The flower bloom is pretty. However, for us it is less prolific and got sick easily in our garden environment. We think that telephone peas taste much sweeter than purple-podded peas.
We usually grow climbing peas for saving space reason. This year we tried growing bush peas 'Massey Gem' that did not performed at all, almost complete failure. We would like to try a new variety next season which I hope we will made a good decision on suitable peas for our garden with the next order. Any suggestion? Growing different variety is like an investment, some do well this year some not. Different variety of peas has  different genetic strain and the climate is ever-changing year after year. 

13 comments:

Gardener on Sherlock Street said...

Peas really give it up when they're done don't they. Sad when the peas finish for the season. Sounds like you have pea growing figured out. I hope some gardeners in your climate have good suggestions for you. And, I hope you find a new green vegetable for your boys!

cikmanggis said...

pertama kali lihat pokok kacang pea.Cantik bunganya.Bagus Rayyan tidak memilih makanan.Anak bongsu Cm tak mau makan sayur.Puas mencuba pelbagai cara tapi gagal.Selamat hari raya haji buat Diana sekeluarga.

Sean L said...

Selamat Hari Raya Haji to you and your family. The pea blooms are pretty... Hmmm, kids that love peas??? You must be a very lucky mother.

Dani P. said...

Hi, Malay-Kadazan girl
So glad you visit my blog. We have a lot in common,I startet my vegetable garden for the same reason - I have two boys, and they love peas too. We will sow them early in the spring. Last ear I buod pea seeds from an estonian site ( http://seemnemaailm.ee/eng/ ) but I don't remember the exact name of those peas ( great harvest ). It seems they have changed the list ... I am happy, that I saved some seeds the last spring.
I will come back, to see your aventures in the garden . Have a nice day !
Greetings from Greece !!!

Sue Garrett said...

I can't advise on a variety as our pea harvest was also rubbish this year! You could try mangetout.

We once grew the purple podded peas and like you I thought they looked pretty but the taste didn't live up to the beauty!

Mark Willis said...

My peas were very poor this year too. Many of them succumbed to disease - especially Powdery Mildew.
My favourite varieties are ones which are well-known here in the UK, but may not be available in Australia. They are "Kelvedon Wonder" and "Hurst Green Shaft".

Patricia said...

We live in a topsy-turvy world...my pea season is just beginning!

cathy@home said...

I have just planted peas because it has been too hot.

littlekarstar said...

I gave up on my peas a while ago too. The purple podded peas were beautiful and gave quite a good crop so I'll try them again. The golden podded peas also gave me loads of peas although I ate them like snowpeas.

I'll try your telephone peas next winter! Thanks for that!

rainfield61 said...

It is interesting to know there is "telephone" pea around.

Malar said...

The pea's flower is so beautiful! Hope you have a good harvest next time!

Malay-Kadazan girl said...

Gardener on Sherlock Street~ Yup the peas really give it up when they are done. All at once in the same row of trellis.

Cikmanggis~Bunga pea comel. Rayyan kekadang makan greedy sangat semuanya sumbat.

Sean L~But my kids do know to differentiate home-grow peas and store bought ones. We had dinner once with pasta and peas in one of this restaurant at Rundle, but the kids won't eat those peas.

Dani~Great that you save some pea seeds which grows well in your garden. It will produce much better next season as it is adapted to your climate.

Sue~Is mangetout what we call here snowpeas? We grow Mammoth Melting Snowpeas. I thought I was the one who notice that it does not taste like the level of the pod prettiness. So it was not something wrong with my taste bud then.

Mark~We had problem with powdery mildew too. I think this year was much more humid because I had trouble with other plants as well. Kelvedon Wonder sounds familiar but I have not heard the hurst green shaft.

Patricia~I will enjoy looking at peas from your garden now.

Cathy~I always wonder if you experience frost there? Or we have similar climate.

Mrs Bok~I might try golden podded peas if I can find some seeds.

Rainfield61~Hahaha...I can't say that it look like telephone.

Malar~Its a bonus growing pea. Enjoy looking at the pretty flower and anticipate some peas later on.

Sue Garrett said...

Yes mangetout and snow peas are the same thing.