Nope, I still hate peas!

[grahamhobbs]

OK Odsox, so you don't have any pests - didn't you forget to mention the man-eating slugs, or is that an irish secret.

[Odsox]

You're right Graham, I also didn't mention the earwigs and wood lice that browse off my seedlings overnight.
But I've got a bit wise to them now and have found ways to either stop them or at least minimise their anti-social behaviour.
I think the very worst pest that I have are ants ... they're everywhere and in my tunnels they undermine the plant roots either stunting them or killing the plants outright. There doesn't seem to be an effective remedy for them other than boiling water on their nests, but that doesn't seem to do the plants any good for some reason.
I've tried powders and sprays but that just seems to make them move their nests a few feet.

Oh well, at least they don't eat my peas (to get back onto topic)

[Millymollymandy]

Back on topic again I didn't have a single bug inside my pea pods and as for the mange tout, if I did then I ate them!

How come no pigeons though? I thought they were universal! Do you mean that the cities are without city pigeons?

Do you have horrid squawky seagulls instead?

[Odsox]

I see the occasional pigeon fly over but have never seen one in the garden.
Sea gulls are surprisingly few and far between as well and those that are around are too busy catching fish to make any screeching noises. As with squirrels and pigeons, nobody within 100 miles would ever dream of feeding them, so they are truly wild.
The only birds that can be a pest are the hooded crows & magpies and they will only help themselves to the chicken food if I feed them outside (which I don't).
Other than that, thrushes and blackbirds eating my soft fruit.

[grahamhobbs]

Our magpies eat broad beans, if they're not netted.

[Millymollymandy]

Mine don't because they have tummies full of duck food, and the crows too! Maybe that's your answer Graham (see my reply on your peach tree thread about feeding bird food to the squirrels!).

There are plenty of wood pigeons around here but they have never shown any interest in anything cultivated in my garden.

[Odsox]

Mine don't because they have tummies full of duck food, and the crows too

You have magpies that eat crows ???
They must be some awesome birds

[Millymollymandy]

I wish! I have a beautiful huge fir tree that for the last 5 years the blasted crows keep perching on, on the very top new growth which is pliable and you can see each year of growth which is bending off in one direction and has totally ruined the tree.

[Shirley]

Here is one of my pea pods. It's the first time I've grown them so am feeling especially proud. This variety is Little Marvel and is delicious straight from the pod.

[Millymollymandy]

Cool photo Shirlz!

I have got rid of one row of mange tout and old peas and I'm amazed that they have so little root! No wonder they suffer in hot weather and need watering practically every day.

[Green Aura]

Leave the roots in the ground, MMM, when you pulling the plants - they have the nitrogen-fixing nodes that fertilise your soil - for free!!!

[Millymollymandy]

What roots? I can't, as I can't leave this space fallow, I've been wanting to sow more lettuce for weeks but didn't have any space until now so they are going there and I can't have roots in the way. My soil is rich in nitrogen anyway or so I am led to believe by the amount of nettles I have growing everywhere.

I'm keeping on top of the next lot of mange tout and am picking them every day.

[Odsox]

I can't, as I can't leave this space fallow,

No need to, cut the tops at ground level and then dig slightly to chop the roots, then replant.
Even more necessary to leave the roots of broad beans as they have considerably more nodules.

[Millymollymandy]

Too late and they hardly had any roots either. I never leave them in place as I need a nice tilth for sowing seeds into, or in autumn the beds need digging over with compost anyway. I can't see the point when I am already fertilising the soil with feritliser and compost

BUT I did find two self seeded melons amongst the broad beans that I pulled out, now that's a first! I have potimarron all over the place (in fact I didn't actually have to sow any this year) but this warm weather must have germinated the melons. I just hope the one I kept and transplanted is the Petit Gris de Rennes and not a Charentais!

[Odsox]

I can't see the point when I am already fertilising the soil with feritliser

Well, that is the whole point really, you then don't have to fertilise it as the bean/pea plants have already done it for you, for free. I thought you would have appreciated that as you are the one who hangs on to seed packets for twenty years rather than buy new ones.