Mangetout

Advice and recommendations for next year please.

I sowed a few mangetout this year, they were very old seed and had two chances, just a few grew and are now producing meagrely and what is picked is rather stringy, even the baby ones.  They were cheap Lidl seeds of which I forget the name.

I would like to have another go next year and would like recommendations for a prolific non stringy variety.   I had no luck with normal peas as they were riddled with pea maggot, at least with mangetout you don't  know about the maggots 

Flat pods or Fat pods/Sugarsnap Mangetout?

My all time favourite is Bijou from Realseeds - huge flat pods, not stringy until they're at the end of their days. I thought I had plenty of seeds this year - but I only had a few and RS had sold out.
I'm growing a mix of old seeds this year. Don't bother with Shiraz (purple) I find it tough. Goldensweet is yellow and easy to find in the foliage.
Also growing Sugar Magnolia, Spring Blush and a few others I can't remember.
 + Oregon sugarpod and ?Delikett  fat pods.

Flat pods or Fat pods/Sugarsnap Mangetout?

My all time favourite is Bijou from Realseeds - huge flat pods, not stringy until they're at the end of their days. I thought I had plenty of seeds this year - but I only had a few and RS had sold out.
I'm growing a mix of old seeds this year. Don't bother with Shiraz (purple) I find it tough. Goldensweet is yellow and easy to find in the foliage.
Also growing Sugar Magnolia, Spring Blush and a few others I can't remember.
 + Oregon sugarpod and ?Delikett  fat pods.

Flat pods are my favoured sort.  Thanks Veggie I will look out for Bijou next year.  They sound perfect if they're not too tall.  I will Google. Will be interested to hear your thoughts on the others you're growing when the time comes. My few get stringy before they're even an inch and a half long.

Bijou are tall and the flowers are beautiful, so grow them like sweetpeas.

Bijou are tall and the flowers are beautiful, so grow them like sweetpeas.

You've sold them to me, also going to try the yellow ones, they sound fun.  Now to remember this next spring and get in there at RS before they sell out.  How early do you sow yours V?

I have sown them in autumn and overwintered them in the GH for some early MT in spring. You know me JJB, I've no idea when I normally sown them.

The only variety I’ve grown is Oregon sugar pod. Very heavy cropping & lovely flavour.
More seeds are on my wish list. I forgot to save any.

I've just remembered - I do have a few Bijou peas.
A couple of years ago I had a cunning plan to sow the same seeds every week through autumn and winter to see whether the seeds would hold back germinating until the spring or grow whatever the temperature.
Not sure what they were - think it was Gardener's Delight tomato, ?Beth Alpha cucumber, Bijou pea, a ?French bean and a courgette.
I bagged one of each seed into a "sow weekly" packet and I still have 16 packets.
As for the cunning plan............the tomato and pea germinated early and I grew the peas on to maturity in the GH. The others failed to do anything!

What to do now? Pick out the peas or sow each mixed bag together?

My goodness, what a conundrum. How about a compromise, pick out the peas, as you know you want those, and sow the rest ramdomly as you wish. Lucky you to have the space to do either or both. Would peas bare fruit sown this late? Might be ok in one of your famous GH's.
Look on picking out the peas as one of those mindless activities that mum used to set you doing as a little girl, like sorting out the button box. Having sorted they all went back in the same box for next time. I had hours of fun. It even extended to adult motherhood, I love sorting Lego bricks - how sad.

You may be amused or alarmed to know that I'd reached the same conclusion - pick out the peas and give them TLC. They'll be fine sown now - if they're still viable!
I'd sort the button box and the gas & electric meter money at my grandparents. Probably pennies and shillings. Sort them into piles and dates and kings and queens. Hours of fun -until the shilling ran out.