Meteor

Why it suits Ireland

The reason Meteor works here comes down to the shape of the seed. Round-seeded peas have a denser, less permeable seed coat than wrinkled ones, so they absorb water slowly and are much less likely to split and rot in cold saturated soil. That is exactly the condition an Irish garden bed is in from November to March, and it is why almost every overwintering pea variety is round seeded.

Its height is the second advantage. At roughly 45cm it stays below the worst of the wind in an exposed or coastal garden, where a metre-tall mangetout would be flattened repeatedly between February and May.

Cropping early also means it flowers before pea moth is properly on the wing, so an overwintered or February-sown Meteor usually escapes maggoty pods without any covering at all.

Growing notes

Sow 5cm deep, 5cm apart in a flat drill, either in late October and November for an overwintered crop or in February and March for a normal early one. Netting or wire over the drill is worth the trouble at both times of year, because mice are hungriest and pea germination is slowest exactly when this variety is sown.

Winter sowings want free-draining ground and a cloche. Take the cloche off on mild days from February so the plants harden and air moves, otherwise the crop under it goes soft and mildews.

Pods carry six or seven peas each and the crop comes in over about a fortnight, so this is a variety to pick promptly and then clear. Cut the plants at ground level when they finish, leave the roots, and follow with cabbage, kale or leeks.

Because it crops and finishes early, the ground it occupied is free by late June for a second sowing of something else, which makes it useful in a small Irish plot where the season is short at both ends.