Pea (Mangetout) 'Oregon Sugar Pod'

'Oregon Sugar Pod' is perhaps the most famous and reliable mangetout variety for UK gardeners. It is a prolific producer of wide, flat, pale green pods that are harvested when the peas inside are just beginning to develop. The pods are remarkably sweet, crunchy, and entirely stringless, making them perfect for eating raw in salads or lightly steamed. This variety is a semi-dwarf climber, reaching about 90-100cm, so it requires some support from netting or pea sticks. It is notably resistant to powdery mildew and pea wilt, which often plague other pea varieties during the humid British summer. Sowing can begin as early as March for a late spring harvest, and successive sowings every two weeks will ensure a continuous supply. It prefers cool, moist conditions and a soil rich in organic matter. Rated H2, it is tender to frost as a young plant but enjoys the mild UK spring. Its white flowers are also quite attractive in the vegetable patch.

Sun: Full sun.

Soil: Moist, well-drained, alkaline soil.

Hardiness: H2 — down to 1°C.

Flowering: May, Jun, Jul.