Mangetout

Origin & history

Mangetout peas differ from shelling peas in one single feature: they lack the tough parchment layer in the pod wall, which is why the whole pod stays tender. They have been described in European gardens since the 16th century; the French “mange-tout” — “eat it all” — says exactly that. The fleshy snap types, by contrast, are young: they arrived in 1979 with the American variety “Sugar Snap”.

Varieties

There are two types: flat-podded snow peas, picked while the pod is still flat, and round-podded sugar snaps, which stay crisp and sweet even with fully formed peas inside. For a balcony or a small bed there are varieties around 70 cm; the classic tall ones crop most heavily on two-metre supports. All the common varieties are open-pollinated, so saving your own seed is straightforward.

Care

Mangetout usually grow taller than shelling peas, so the support goes up at sowing time; guide the first tendrils on by hand and after that they hold on themselves. Moderate watering is enough until flowering, but from then on the crop needs even moisture — drought stress at that stage gives short, stringy pods. No feeding, and a mulch layer keeps the root zone cool, which extends the picking season by weeks.

What can go wrong

Tough, stringy pods are almost never a fault of the variety but the result of heat, drought or picking too late. Powdery mildew coats the foliage from July on; sowing early, spacing generously and always watering at the base pushes it back. Birds work over the freshly sown row and the seedlings — twiggy sticks or netting until the plants are about 10 cm tall solves that. As with all peas, leave five to six years before the same bed grows them again.

Harvest, storage & kitchen

Hold the vine with your other hand as you pick, or you tear off the whole shoot; go through every two days, because a plant with pods ripening on it stops flowering. Mangetout stay fresh for only a few days; for the freezer blanch them for one to two minutes and cool them in cold water. Pods that have gone past it and filled out are not wasted — shell them and use the peas like ordinary ones.

Frequently asked questions

When do you sow mangetout outdoors?

From mid-March to mid-May, sown directly into the bed: 4 cm deep, about 5 cm apart in the row and 40 cm between rows. The soil should have dried off and be free of frost — in cold, wet ground the seeds tend to rot rather than germinate.

How tall does mangetout grow?

Between 70 cm and a good two metres, depending on the variety; pick a short one for a pot or balcony. Build the support about 20 cm higher than the stated height, because the tendrils grow past the top, otherwise flop back into the foliage and hide the topmost pods.

When and for how long can you pick mangetout?

From mid-June to mid-August, roughly twelve weeks after sowing. One batch keeps producing for three to four weeks if picked over regularly; two sowings three weeks apart noticeably stretch the season.

Is mangetout winter hardy?

No, it is only mildly frost-tolerant: young plants take a light frost, but they will not come through a winter outdoors. Mangetout is sown afresh each spring from mid-March, and the crop is finished with the last picking in August.