Alaska peas - how long from flower to harvest?

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xerynx Belleville, ON(Zone 5b) May 10, 2011

I have a small-space edible garden growing on my balcony, and so far this year is a great success. I am growing alaska peas for the first time, and I have them in upside-down planters, made by yours truly. They have done very well, flowering and fruiting in great numbers. My question is, how long does it typically take the pods to mature? My earliest pods are now 2 weeks old, and as shown in the picture, only one of the peas inside is swelling and growing. The rest (there's about six in each pod) are still just flat bumps, visible only when held up to the light. The biggest pods are about an inch long, which I thought was pretty small, and so I'm sure they're not ready for picking yet. Is it normal for the peas to grow one at a time like this? Am I doing something wrong to make such wimpy little pea pods? I feed the plants every couple of weeks, water regularly (soil is always moist) and they're getting plenty of light (and I still bring them in at night, as I'm in zone 5b).
Thoughts?

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yehudith silver spring, MD(Zone 7a) May 13, 2011

You may have just gotten uneven pollination. Mine usually don't make it to the nice fat pea stage. They usually take about two weeks this time of year to really fill out the pod for boil/steaming peas when they're about 2in long, but I have never waited that long. I clean off everything Fri afternoon because I can't pick on Sat because of the Sabbath, so big or small they go in the salad bowl or the pot.

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Farmerdill Augusta, GA(Zone 8a) May 14, 2011

xerynx, I have never tried to grow English peas in a container, so I have no idea what is going on. They are self pollinating so we can eliminate that problem. I will guess that they are stressed in some fashion. Concur with Yehudith that it takes about two weeks from bossom to full pod. They will fill simultaneously. If only one pea forms that is all you ever get from that pod. Alaska has a medium vine, for container growing you might want to look at some of the super dwarfs like Tom Thumb.

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HoneybeeNC Charlotte, NC(Zone 7b) May 15, 2011

I sowed "Alaska" peas indoors under lights on March 11th and started picking peas just this week.

Be sure to pick them before the pods mature, otherwise they taste a little bitter. The smaller peas are quite sweet.

We've had a cool spring and lots of rain here - just what peas adore!

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