Mammoth melting sugar?

Here is a link that might be useful: seed source

I am also interested in learning about peas that require a trellis to support them. I am only interested in the "garden" variety. Thanks!

If you are talking about tall growing English shelling peas, Alderman or Tall Telephone are candidates. But you have a serious problem if You are not getting a yield from dwarf shelling peas. Probably soil or heat. Dwarf peas are heavy yielding but have a much shorter harvest interval than climbing peas. Usually one and done.

Ditto on Farmerdill's recommendation of "Alderman" or "Tall Telephone" for trellised peas. They have a good, sustained yield and some pretty large peas. Most snow peas also have long vines (including the "Mammoth Melting Sugar" recommended by Shuffles), as does "Sugar Snap".

But like Farmerdill, I suspect that there are other problems which are causing the poor yield. Shade, poor soil, or excessive heat would be the most likely causes. I have a tree near one of my gardens which doesn't shade it, but the roots run under the garden & reduce fertility. Planting too late could cause the peas to mature during hot weather.

As to the direct question: are peas worth growing? If you have cool summers, warm winters, or long springs - certainly. Peas give their best yields under those conditions. In long season areas, you can plant peas early, then follow them with a warm-weather crop. In my shorter season, I can follow peas with a Fall garden of cole crops or a bed of garlic. In either case, whatever follows the peas will benefit from the nitrogen they leave behind... as long as the plants are either cut off (not pulled) or turned under.

While you can train most peas to climb, it is usually not necessary for the short(er) vines of most English peas. They will do their best planted in wide rows, or multiple rows spaced closely. The vines will cling to each other for support, which holds the pods off the ground. This also allows the vines to act as their own mulch, and reduces weeds.

But be careful what you wish for... shelling a bushel of peas takes a lot of time. The flavor of fresh-picked peas makes it worthwhile.

Agree def. worth it!!!I kinda have a related question so I'm gonna "post" here,hope that's ok;).Growing "caselode" variety and I had a decent harvest did not use inoculant or whatever is called...still was not bad so I was wondering if will they bloom again(is getting kinda hot around here)or should I just cut them to the bottom.I need the space for summer veg. as an experiment I planted tomatoes in between(not a good idea by the way)they're still there all leggy and skinny,good thing I have back ups ready to go...@Farmerdill:D Amaizing looking peas,drooling;)

Farmdill,zeedman, when I hear peas, I think Black eye peas here in S.C.
Tell me when should I plant seeds of Alderman & Telephone in the Fall or Spring. Give me the night time low for direct sowing & I can apply it to my zone.
Thanks.

I work at a farm and was wondering if English peas are worth it economically for the farmer since peas take a while to pick and I could imagine the time it would take to shell the peas.

yes, you need to learn to pick faster & shell them while watching the sunset.

My Father said do not work the garden do not eat, so we worked the garden,

Controling where & when you get your food is important. Not a lot grows in cool weather

greens,carrot, English peas. The deer eat most of mine last season, so I ate the deer.

If you are farming for a living, English peas are machine harvested and shelled. Growers are in climates conducive to production. Most grown for freezing or canning occurs in Minnesota, Washington, Wisconsin, Oregon and New York.

I am the only one in the family who enjoys peas. I really can't be bothered to grow peas to shell and freeze, when I can buy organic frozen peas so easily and reasonably priced. Especially when I am the only one who eats them. I do sometimes grow snap peas and enjoy the pods. I like a variety that has purple pods. But, timing is not easy. We used to have an old practice of sowing peas on St Patrick's Day, but that doesn't always work any more. Sometimes it's a cold spring and the soil is too cold for seed to sprout. And then it gets hot early and suddenly and peas are not happy with that. So -sometimes it's more trouble than it's worth for me, personally. Especially since, once the fall comes, the angle of the sun is so low that I don't really get enough sun on my vegetable garden to grow fall crops.

If you have better circumstances and more people in your family enjoy them, than growing peas is enjoyable. They are a fun crop that usually doesn't have many pests, just the four legged kind. Rabbits. [g]

Peas do well here in W. Central FL. I started planting on January 12, then on January 18 and 25. We use climbing snow peas and sugar snaps on a 5 foot trellis. They produce well and are almost pest free. No shelling necessary, but they do have strings. We've been having a white fly infestation for a couple years, but the peas were not bothered. I had to get rid of the following crop of Red Ripper field peas. The white flies just took over.