Pea Charlie

Charlie is a super vining maincrop pea, it is largely self-supporting, grows to about 60cm tall and is a semi-leafless variety: this makes it easy to spot the pods. Charlies pods often appear in triplets at the nodes and you should expect a good yield of tasty medium to large sized rich green peas.

SOW: in March to May however sowing in June and July can also give you a successful crop: in mild areas a sowing in July can extend your harvest into October. We start all our peas in pots (2-3 seeds in each). You can sow peas in situ but wait until the soil has started to warm up. Sowing every 4-5 weeks will give you fresh peas over the whole season.

GROW: pot sown plants need to be hardened off before planting out. Space pot clumps 15-20cm apart and individual peas 10cm apart. Peas like moisture and will tolerate light shade. Water in dry summers, increasing the amount a little once they have started to flower. Pick regularly to encourage more growth.

ENJOY: you should expect a good yield of tasty medium sized rich green peas which are relatively easy to spot as Charlie is not a leafy variety!