Trevor's Kitchen Garden How I grow my own food and how you can too.

Pea seedlings planted at base of each guy rope. More twigs to be inserted. Upturned bottles act as watering funnels.

Peas are an ideal crop for a small garden or even a large pot, as they mainly grow up and have a smaller footprint than say, cabbage or courgettes. I use a purpose made wigwam shaped maypole type of structure to support my pea plants which were sown about 4 weeks ago in the greenhouse. Assembling the section of the pole reminds me of camping. However at the top of the pole, there are 8 hooks from which drop 8 strong nylon guy ropes. The pack also contains 8 tent pegs to secure the bottom of each rope in the soil to create this wigwam appearance.

However, the instructions give the impression that the peas will easily latch on to these taut ropes and climb skyward. Experience tells me the peas appreciate more support in the form of twigs with side branches which keep the young seedlings upright until they can grow and climb by themselves using the ropes but also any twiggy supports stuck in the soil between the ropes of the wigwam.

This year I am finding the Siccle Sugar Pea, bought from http://www.irishseedsavers.ie , the organic centre at Scarriff, Co. Clare, to be the healthiest looking seedlings I have ever seen. Pisum sativum is the Latin name of the variety. This is a tall-growing sugar pea dating back more than a century from Virginia, USA. It is known to give a good crop of sweet, sickle-shaped pods that may be eaten whose. Once I keep the plants watered, help them to climb and keep away molluscs from eating leaves etc, I look forward to tasting my first ever Siccle Sugar Peas later on this summer.