Peas in training...

We have a range of funny cards in the shop showing anthropomorphic vegetables doing various activities, with corny titles such as ‘Bean Golfing’. These sprang to mind this afternoon in the polytunnel when my activity was ‘Pea Training’… instant image of leguminous vegetable in shorts and running shoes…

 The peas have, in fact, been sprinting away in the polytunnels, much warmer under cover than in the cold winds outside. The variety is ‘Alderman’, an old Victorian variety which can grow more than 6ft tall, so needs proper support. They’re only 8 inches tall so far, but they don’t seem to have got the idea about growing up the strings we’ve rigged up for them, preferring instead to flop languidly over the edge of the bed or sneak sideways to twine messily with their neighbour. Hence the need for training!

 Their tender stems snap easily, so it’s a delicate job to disentangle their wayward tendrils, guide them reluctantly upright and coax the plants gently round the strings, curling the tendrils in the right direction. No string or wires- just hope they’ve now got the right idea and get on with it by themselves. If not, I’ll have to abandon the gentle training methods and resort to the cane!