Express Climbing Peas with long pods (The Generous) - Vilmorin seeds

The Express long pod Climbing Pea, also known as the Generous Pea, is a variety of climbing shelling pea that reaches over 1.40 m (5ft) in height. It produces slightly curved pods containing 7 to 9 round and smooth peas. This pea is highly recommended for freezing and canning. It is very productive and early, with harvests from April to July.

The Pea is an annual vegetable belonging to the Legume family (formerly known as Fabaceae) with ancient origins in the Near East. It is one of the oldest cultivated vegetables in Europe and Asia. It was traditionally consumed dry and crushed before cooking and its fresh consumption is relatively recent.

There are numerous varieties of dwarf or climbing peas that produce pods filled with smooth or wrinkled round peas. They are cooked after shelling as the papery pod in which they are enclosed is not edible. Only sugar snap peas (with flat pods, crunchy and buttery) are consumed in their entirety.

In general, climbing peas are more productive but later and need a structure 1.5 to 2 metres (5 to 7 feet) tall for them to climb. They are easy to harvest. Dwarf or semi-dwarf peas suffice with a few branches (from 50 cm (20in) to 1 metre (3 feet)) as supports. Some recent varieties, with most of their foliage replaced by tendrils, are self-supporting, and the use of supports is optional.

Smooth-grained peas are resistant to spring cold. They are very early or early varieties that can be sown very early under a tunnel, for example, but they do not like  excessive heat.

For late spring and early summer sowings, wrinkled-grained varieties with a sweeter flavour are used. They tolerate heat and offer longer harvests.

Peas are highly appreciated in spring, but with careful variety selection, they can be harvested over a long period from June to September.

In cooking, peas can be consumed raw, but they are traditionally cooked to accompany meat and fish or to prepare delicious soups. They are quite calorie-rich as they are rich in carbohydrates, and they also contain a lot of fibre, iron, and vitamins C and B9.

Peas like mild and humid climates but are sensitive to extreme weather conditions such as high heat, frost, and both water shortage and excess, which weaken them and make them susceptible to powdery mildew and the pea moth, a small caterpillar that eats the peas.

Harvest: Depending on the variety, peas are harvested between two and a half to four months after sowing. Pick regularly when the pods feel firm under finger pressure. Don't wait too long... peas tend to harden as they age!

Storage: Fresh peas can be stored, unshelled, in the vegetable drawer of the refrigerator. They freeze very well once blanched in boiling water.

Gardener's Tip: Peas, like all legumes, can fix atmospheric nitrogen in the soil, acting as a green fertiliser. This nitrogen supply benefits plants growing nearby and those that will be planted subsequently in a crop rotation system.