Description Heirloom Vegetable. Thomas Laxton is a high quality, heavy yielding, all purpose shelling pea first introduced in the late 1890’s that is perfect for the home gardener. Vines growing to 75-90 cm (2.5-3′) tall produce well-filled pods 8.75 cm (3.5″) long that are straight, broad and dark green. Each pod contains 7-9 large tender peas. We recommend growing this pea on a short trellis or netting to make picking that much easier. Good disease resistance. How to Grow 1-3 seed/gram. Peas are a cool weather crop and can be sown from early April through to mid- May when the soil temperature is between 10-16 C (50-60 F). Fall crops are possible in hardiness zones 6 & 7. Sow in double rows spaced 25 cm (10″) with the seed 6.5 cm (2.5″) apart within the row and 1.25-2.5 cm (1/2-1″) deep. Space each set of double rows 75 cm (2.5′) apart. Peas can also be sown in blocks 120 cm (48″) square with the seeds spaced 6.5 cm (2.5″) apart within the block. Sow successive crops 10-14 days apart for extended harvests. Keep the soil evenly moist during the germination period or emergence will be spotty. You can stake or support row planted bush varieties for easier picking – climbing varieties definitely need to be supported. Avoid the use of high nitrogen fertilizers. Once flowering starts, it is important to keep the plants well watered to produce a good harvest. As the pods mature, pick daily to enjoy their peak flavour and to encourage more pods to form. Careful cultivation between rows is recommended to increase harvest yield. Removing clover and other non-crop legumes from the vicinity of the pea crop will reduce pest problems.
