pea shoots
Pisum sativum 'Serge' (PBR)
- Position: full sun
- Soil: fertile, moist but well drained
- Rate of growth: average to fast
- Hardiness: half-hardy annual
With highly nutritious, sweet-tasting sprouting pea shoots for salads, stir-fries, and garnishes, ‘Serge’ can also be grown to full size where it will produce green pods, that can be eaten young, as mangetout peas, or allowed to grow to full size, to produce maincrop peas. A tendrilled climber with a multitude of options, it can be grown in a container or window box and harvested regularly for an easy-to-pick, straight from plant to kitchen crop. Why not try mixing with baby leaf chard, mizuna, mustard, and rocket for a healthy cut-and-come-again combination? - Growing instructions: Sow indoors from February in good quality seed compost approx 3-4cm (1”) apart in trays or pots and covering with 15mm (½”) of compost. Germination takes approx 2 weeks with some gentle bottom heat. Within 3-4 weeks, the shoots will be ready to harvest. Alternatively, grow direct from April 15cm (6”) apart in V-shaped, pre-watered drills, 5cm (2”) deep. Sow two seeds per sowing and thin out the weakest seedling. When each plant reaches 30cm (12”) tall, pick the top 2-5cm (1-2”) of every tip. After the first harvest allow the plant to recover for 2 weeks, then harvest weekly. If growing on for pea harvest, support the climbing tendrils with twiggy sticks or pea netting. Protect from birds and with fine netting if required.
- Sow: February to April (under glass) or April to September (direct)
- Harvest: June to September