Peas Please

Growing in excess of 5.3t/ha of dried peas should put you in the “top 5” of any group you care to name. For most an AVERAGE of 4.5t/ha is an achievable target which can lead to a reasonable profit margin and offer a few additional benefits.

Your soil should be left in a good condition for autumn drilling. There will be residual nitrogen for your next crop. Blackgrass control should be much easier.

Some would consider peas relatively easy to grow but there are some important times of the year when their management is pretty unforgiving; one of these being drilling. Wheat may tolerate poor seedbeds or drilling conditions, but that’s just not the case with peas. If you plant them at the wrong time or in poor conditions, you will be up against it for the rest of the year.

Another is harvest. Good pea colour is important and can be worth 35% of the price you will receive, so it’s probably the single most important trait to look for in terms of maximising saleability.”