Pea planting plans for 2015

[Galina]

Off-type Elisabeth:
Assorted, purple flower mangetout, Purple flower mangetout inflated pods. purple flower Shelling type

Elisabeth x Sugar Magnolia F3 seeds:
green mangetout pods, mainly purple semi-purple mangetout pods, More green than purple snap pods, more purple than green snap pods

CEG x Amish Snap:
F2, F3 packets: 1 yellow mangetout, 2 green mangetout, 3 green mangetout, 4 purple fl yellow snap, 5 green mangetout (might only grow 4, which is the promising one)

CEG x Shiraz:
F2s, the 'darker' type, the 'greener' type. It is tempting to grow only the dark purple seeds of both packets in the first instance.
F3s, type 1 which was tall with part red pods and type 2, short plants with part red pods

CEG x Purple Podded F2

'White' Elisabeth:
Redder Elisabeth, cross of Redder Elisabeth and Elisabeth (single seed - temporarily lost - may need to cross again), normal pink looking but originally 'white' Elisabeth.

'Own F2', now F3 - one pod looked to be snap rather than mangetout. These were leftovers from the CEG breeding that were not interesting, but the seed was used up.

Elisabeth x Kent Blue F3:
Mixed types, pink flowering types

This is about 26 different types and some need to be grown as individuals. On top of all other standard varieties. This looks like 40 types of pea this year. Many are only tiny tripods of 3 to 5 plants

[Admin]

Gosh, have you sown already?

[Galina]

No -not before mid February indoors! Just planning what to do

I have also mislaid my other crosses that I made last year. Guess they are all together in a safe place and I have to add a few more growing stations for the new crosses too. The pea garden will be large.

[jayb]

Hope you've got a little spare space, I've got a few things for you too, I'll get them sorted and sent as soon as I can.
I'm forever putting things 'safe', sometimes just where they should be and I still can't see them!

Wow lots of lovely peas, it's going to be a fascinating year! Can't wait to follow progress

[Galina]

I'm sure I can find a little space for a few more - Mrs Lei? By the way, I have found a reference to Mrs Lei with the right picture, but called 'Frau Li'. Needless to say, only the one reference.
http://schreberarten.ch/Pflanzen/Erb...sen/Erbsen.htm
a third down the list

Described as 'lathyrus sativus' can that be right? Looks like a pea rather than a vetch?

[Galina]

Definitely pisum not lathyrus, about 5ft tall with pale pink flowers, paler than Elisabeth. Looking forward to the pods in a couple of weeks.

[Galina]

Found last year's crosses:

Golden Sweet x Schweizer Riesen (repeat of the original CEG)
CEG x Carouby (repeat, lost documentation/labels of last cross)
CEG x Bijou
Redder Elisabeth x Elisabeth
Bijou x Goldensweet

These will be mollycoddled.

[jayb]

I'm sure I can find a little space for a few more - Mrs Lei? By the way, I have found a reference to Mrs Lei with the right picture, but called 'Frau Li'. Needless to say, only the one reference.
http://schreberarten.ch/Pflanzen/Erb...sen/Erbsen.htm
a third down the list

Described as 'lathyrus sativus' can that be right? Looks like a pea rather than a vetch?

Yes I have Mrs Lei for you plus I added a small amount each in the Seed Circle. Nice link thank you. I don't know about the pea they grew, although it looks very much the same as Mrs Lei and as you say it's very pea vine looking rather than vetch. I'm sure Mrs Lei is very much a Pisum sativum.

[jayb]

Nice one, glad you found them. It will be very interesting to see what Redder Elisabeth x Elisabeth does. The others look excellent crosses too, improved size and tasting Golden Sweet has got to be a winner.

[Galina]

Nice one, glad you found them. It will be very interesting to see what Redder Elisabeth x Elisabeth does. The others look excellent crosses too, improved size and tasting Golden Sweet has got to be a winner.

Yes all my crosses so far have been with Golden Sweet in the (great) parentage somewhere, with the exception of the redder E x E. Yes I think that Frau Li is almost certainly Mrs Lei, but a vetch it is not. That must be a mistake Looking forward to growing them.

The site shows some very unusual peas indeed, presumably gleaned from seedbanks mostly, rather than from trade. And little statements like 'seeds needed for multiplying' with some varieties suggest that for other varieties the site owner would happily share/swap seeds.

So many peas, so little space to grow them all in.

On the other hand, we are really enjoying last year's pea bounty from all those packets in the freezer. Not quite the same as fresh, but still pretty good.

[jayb]

I haven't had a chance to look at the site properly, I'll go back and have another look sometime soon.

So many peas, so little space to grow them all in.

Lol, very true, I really don't know where they are all going to go this year. I've just opened this year's seed parcel and have Sugar Lord and Jeyes as new to me varieties!
I'm interested in the size of Sugar Lord, can't wait. I'm sure there is a good cross coming up

[Galina]

Sugar Lord are not as long as say Carouby, but their fleshy fat pods make them quite substantial. You have seen how wrinkly their seeds are, definitely a sign to reflect how sweet they are and how 'juicy'. Length was a little variable here, Not sure whether that is down to environment (lots of rain for the earlier pods) or individual plants. Possibly need to select a bit.

Jeyes last well into the warmer weather. I swapped them years ago with a gardener from Kansas in the USA. Normally they have great problems with shelling peas, because their summer weather comes too fast and it gets too hot before peas do much, so anything other than mangetouts are not worth their while. But (sown on Valentine's day and transplanted) he gets very good and ongoing yields from Jeyes most years.

[jayb]

Thanks Galina
Though I have to admit after reading your post I'm even more (in a good way) getting impatient to sample Sugar Lord! It's the one slight disappointments I have with Sugar snaps - size of the pods.

I've ummed about growing Jeyes peas for a while, I think because the name conjurers the disinfectant. But looking them up again they do sound good and knowing they last into the season and warmer weather is excellent news.

[Galina]

I remember a comment from long ago at a HSL Q and A session that the disinfectant company at one time was also selling seeds, the name is no coincidence. I also remember (vaguely, could be wrong) that I was initially interested, because the seeds (and disinfectant company) were located in Northampton, which is the county where I live.

[Galina]

http://search.findmypast.co.uk/searc...0-09-21&page=6

This certainly mentions Jeyes Chemist from Northampton, advertising a dressing for wheat seed.

[Galina]

I find Sugar Snap not too bad size-wise. It is the yellow snap pea, Opal Creek, that's a bit disappointing, not as thick and meaty by a long way, but they have other qualities. Superb flavour, interesting crescent moon shape and very good heat tolerance. This is why I am trying to breed a bigger yellow snap pea from Court Estate Gold. Maybe I should start with a Sugar Lord cross, rather than an Amish Snap cross.

[jayb]

Fascinating and I can see why you were interested, being a 'local' variety.
Yes Opal Creek are a bit on the thin side but as you say taste is good, which is a great pointer.
Perhaps you could try using both to make a cross?

[Galina]

Well the cross with Amish Snap did produce yellow snap pods right at the end of the season in 2014. But not big at all. Growing an F3 from those F2s should show more clearly what size they are under much better conditions. The F3s are definitely on the sowing schedule.

And the cross CEG x Sugar Lord is scheduled - hope it will work out.