Combinable peas
Growing the crop & wildlife conservation
Sown:
We sow in March
Fertiliser:
We apply potassium, phosphate and manganese in the spring
Weed control:
One herbicide in the spring
Insect pest & control:
There may be one spray for pea moth when the peas are flowering
Disease control:
A seed dressing and one fungicide during the early summer
Threats to the crop:
- On our sandy soils do not hold water well, so drought is a major threat
- Grazing by pigeons can be very serious. Rabbits may also be a problem
- High rainfall or severe hail at or near harvest is a threat, but rarely has an impact
What helps:
- A warm spring helps the crop get established
- A warm growing season with regular rainfall
- We scare pigeons off using kites, gas guns, visual scaring (such as flags) and shooting
Wildlife conservation:
Harvest & what the crop is used for
Harvest:
We harvest with a combine, usually during August
Caring for the crop:
The peas go into our grain store where they are dried and cooled. This prevents the build up of fungi and insects in the stored grain
What it is used for:
Combinable peas are eaten as a snack like peanuts in the Far East, and are also used for tinned peas, ‘mushy’ peas and livestock feed (it is vining peas, not combinable peas, that are sold as frozen peas). We sometimes grow peas for seed for farmers to grow in the following year
By-products:
Peas fix nitrogen equivalent to about 25% of the requirement of a following winter barley crop
