Description
Tom Thumb is the best pea variety to grow in pots or containers, due to its compact and limited stature (20cm) and also because it is ready to harvest in 7 to 8 weeks from sowing (meaning that it can be successionally sown several times during the growing season).
It produces pods of peas which are sweet, tender and tasty and the pods can also be harvested and eaten when young. Children will love this petite variety with attractive white flowers.
| When to Sow | Feb/March (indoors or undercover) to June. |
| Where to Sow | Peas prefer well drained , fertile soil which has been manured the previous autumn. |
| Sow indoors or in a greenhouse/cold frame, either in modules or in a length of guttering (with blocked ends to hold the compost in place). Sow 5cm (2in) deep and 5cm (2in)apart. | |
| Sow direct in a flat bottom, weed free drill or in a pot/container, 5cm (2in) deep and 10cm (4in) wide from April onwards. Space seeds 5cm (2in) apart and then cover with soil and firm down with the end of a rake. Space each drill 60cm apart to allow access for picking. | |
| What to do Next | Protect early seedlings outdoors, from birds and to encourage growth, with either a fleece or cloche. |
| When seedlings, planted in indoors or guttering are well established and hardened off, transfer to their final growing position. If grown in a gutter gently push the soil/compost out of the guttering into a shallow trench (with similar dimensions to guttering) and firm down and water. Space modular plants 5cm (2in) apart into a bed or into a pot/container. | |
| Once seedlings established, only water if conditions are very dry, as overwatering at this stage encourages leafy growth at the expense of pods. Once the flowers appear, increase watering, to encourage pod formation. | |
| Mulch heavily around the base of the plants, as soon as seedlings established, to keep weeds down. | |
| Harvest | May to September |
| Handy Tips | To improve the chances of success of early sowings ( soil temperature needs to be at least 7C/45F), cover the seed bed or container with either a cloche or fleece, a couple of weeks prior to sowing to warm up the soil. |
| To increase the cropping season, sow pea seeds successionally every 2 weeks. | |
| If you are short on space, a catch crop of radish or lettuce can be sown between the pea drills, which can be harvested before the peas are ready to be picked. | |
| Companion Planting | Good Companions: Beans, Carrots, Corn, Cucumbers, Eggplant, Lettuce, Melons, Parsnips, Potatoes, Radishes, Spinach and Turnips |
| Bad Companions: Garlic and onions | |
| Nutritional Information | A good source of Pro-Vitamin A and Vitamins C, B1 and folic acid. |
| Serving Suggestion | Shelled peas are best cooked within 30 minutes of being harvested, to preserve the sweet flavour. Lightly boil and served with a knob of butter. The young pea shoots can also be picked and eaten raw or lightly cooked. |
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