Vegetable Seeds Open-pollinated

Pea 'Hurst Greenshaft'

Pisum sativum 'Hurst Greenshaft' — The reliable British maincrop shelling pea, RHS AGM winner

£1.85approx. 200 seeds

The British kitchen garden classic — long dark green pods held in pairs at the top of the plant, filled with 9 or 10 sweet peas each. Heavy cropper, disease resistant, properly reliable.

Sowing months
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Harvest months
JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Height
75cm
Spread
20cm
Spacing
5–7cm apart, in double rows 20cm apart
Position
Full sun. Sheltered.
Soil
Fertile, moisture-retentive, well-drained. Neutral to slightly alkaline.
About this variety

The pea for anyone who has eaten a pod straight off the plant and suddenly understood why gardeners bother. Hurst Greenshaft is the British maincrop classic — long dark pods with nine or ten sweet peas in each, an RHS Award of Garden Merit, and nothing showy about it whatsoever.

The name is descriptive rather than romantic. Pods are carried in pairs at the top of the plant rather than buried in the foliage, which makes picking a genuinely pleasant job — no hunting, no missed pods going woody out of sight. Once your eye is in you can strip a row in minutes.

It also carries useful resistance to fusarium wilt and downy mildew, the two things most likely to spoil a pea crop just as it comes into picking. If peas have struggled in your ground before, this is the one to try.

Plant alongside

Pea 'Hurst Greenshaft' pairs beautifully with these kitchen garden companions