Peas in a pod

I’M not much of a competitive gardener—I’ll marvel at an oversized pumpkin as much as the next person, without any intention of growing one—but I do gamble on an early sowing of peas.

- Mark Diacono

It’s a hangover from the first days of River Cottage, where a good number of us—Hugh, gardeners, and chefs—would battle to come up with the first peas of the season. I got the idea when reading about Thomas Jefferson, who, as well as being a US Founding Father, was an extraordinary and enthusiastic gardener. He held a pea-growing competition every year and the grower of the earliest ones hosted a supper for all the contestants, with the peas high on the menu. Bragging rights in the kitchen garden where the only prize then, but it was worth it, nevertheless.

The years I won, I owe to two varieties. The first was Kelvedon Wonder, which can go from sowing to picking in 10 weeks, three or four weeks quicker than most. When someone cottoned on to Kelvedon Wonder and stole my title the following year, Makana—a dwarf variety growing only 28in to 32in tall— came to my rescue. My theory was that Markana didn’t have to grow much before its energies turned to pods and it paid off. As well as being quick to produce, it’s great for exposed sites or for where a short variety would work aesthetically.