Grow Your Own Magazine

I`ve tried planting 2 lots of asparagus peas outside & have some in pots inside but have not had one germinate. I`ve grown plenty of mange tout & sugar snaps before so is there something different I should be doing?

Well the 6 I had in pots inside have done nothing after 2 weeks. I`ve tried putting a few on damp paper towel for a couple of days & although they look a bit bigger none of them have sprouted. Any ideas or do you think I`ve got a duff batch?

I sowed a few and they took ages to do anything; admittedly they did come up but it wasn't until last week they got any bigger than an inch tall.

If none sprout after another week or so in the paper, you've got to think it's a duff batch...

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Andrea :wavehello

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...logs/zazen999/

moon trial underway with onions, lettuce, tomatoes and calabrese.

Another week it is then I`m giving up. What do they taste like?

I planted some in modules, and out of 12, I have 5 little plants. Very little. They look far too frail to do battle with the hoards of slugs I have in the garden so won't be planting them out yet. I've done them as an experiment - I don't grow much in the way of unusual veg, cos I like to grow stuff I know we'll eat!! Apparently they are a sort of 'ground cover plant' so don't need staking? Sounds like slug fodder to me! But we'll see....... They'd better taste good.

I'm knee deep in the things.

I've been convincing other plot holders that they should have a few to try.

Started mine off a month or so ago in the greenhouse, used a half tray of multi-compost mixed with sharp sand and scattered the whole pack. Used a propagator top untill they were about a inch high, then potted on and put out into a cold frame.

Mine are now out in one of my "posh" grow bags. I lost the seed packet and didn't know if they were bush or climbers but they appear to be going more like a ground cover plant, very squat and broad.

Really looking forward to trying them.

Mine seemed to germinate without any drama. I've got about 9 growing nicely in little vending cup pots:

No idea how I'm going to harvest them - apparently you're supposed to pick them when they're about an inch long. I'm going to need bigger spectacles!

Edit: Ah, it seems I can't post a picture directly from my blog, you'll either have to have a look, or just trust me...

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A simple dude trying to grow veg.

http://haywayne.blogspot.com/ - UPDATED - 11th June

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I've been growing them every year for a while now. Always just chuck the seeds in the ground and off they go, both in garden and lottie. I tend to grow them in patches at the edges of beds, and often forget to eat any. They are just really pretty flowers.

BUT this year I have tried 3 times (with at least 2 different batches of fresh seed) and not a single plant has germinated.

So, I don't know what is going on at all!

LCG

Glad to know someone else has the same problem LCG. One of mine in a pot has just come up but it looks a bit sad so I`m not sure it`s going to make it.
I`m going to throw a few more in the ground at the end of the week (after the frosts) & then that`s it. I will never know what they taste like!

Well I finally managed to get 4 to come up but they are still only about an inch tall after 3 weeks. Should I leave them in pots longer or plant them out for the slugs to eat?

I ventured down to the plot last night with the intention of planting my asparagus peas out - but after planting everything else out, and doing some other bits and bobs I ran out of time.

My plants are about 12 inches long, with little orangey-red flowers on a couple. No idea if they need supporting or not, can't find much about planting them out in my books.

If the weather stays fine today I might attempt them again tonight.

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A simple dude trying to grow veg.

http://haywayne.blogspot.com/ - UPDATED - 11th June

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My seeds did finally come up - and where I ahd planted them - so the mouse was not to blame this time. They don't need supporting, and will hug the ground. They start to flower and produce pods very young. You won't get many per plant at any one time, but the plants just keep on and on growing and producing until the first frosts - so don't worry about them!

LCG

So theoretically I could plant them between my sweetcorn?

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A simple dude trying to grow veg.

http://haywayne.blogspot.com/ - UPDATED - 11th June

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Yes that would be a good idea - I guess, although I always make sure the APs are in sunshine, having seen them growing wild in the Med on sun-baked roadside verges I wonder if there will be too much shade? May make them leggy? They are usually really compact little plants. Give it a go though, and let us know!

LCG

With regards frost and Asparagus Peas...

Mine lasted in a hanging basket well into Feb this year; we had one almighty frost and it saw 4/5 off; one still hung on - so they gave a little colour whilst nothing else did. Flowering all winter, looked really nice.

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Andrea :wavehello

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...logs/zazen999/

moon trial underway with onions, lettuce, tomatoes and calabrese.

Ventured onto the plot briefly yesterday and harvested the four pods that I could see. Tried one raw - not pleasant.

I'm presuming you just steam them and serve them with some buddah?

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A simple dude trying to grow veg.

http://haywayne.blogspot.com/ - UPDATED - 11th June

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I planted some a few years ago apart from the very pretty flowers I found them almost inedible I sauted them in butter at about an inch long, there was a very very slight asparagus taste to mine, I have not bothered since but would plant them again for the flowers

I grew asparagus peas once, about 20 years ago. Pretty purlpe/red flowers. The pods were inconspicuous until a bit bigger than 'proper' size (the first I spotted were nearly 2" long) so were slightly tough. Once I had picked some, I got the knack of spotting them. Steam and eat with butter, or as a veg with roast etc. I gave them a very little support (a few bits of twig to keep them fractionally off the ground). These were sown direct, and at the time I lived in Orkney. I grew alternate rows of sugarpod and asparagus peas (very pretty when in flower), and the twigs I used for the plants to scramble up were blackcurrant prunings. It got embarrassing when I ended up with dozens of blackcurrant bushes....

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Flowers come in too many colours to see the world in black-and-white.