It's winter here, most of the winter crop is doing very well and the peas
and broad beans are growing well too. There are two sorts of peas, shelling
peas and snow peas. All the peas and broad beans are flowering profusely
but none is setting fruit. There are plenty of bees active through the day.
Both are planted fairly densely so that wind pollination should be quite
efficient.

I have been told that if you get frost on your pea flowers they will not
form pods. We get frost fairly regularly at night so this may be the
explanation there, although I would have expected a few of the flowers to
open in a frost-free interval or to be sheltered and to survive. There is
no frost damage visible to either plants.

I thought that broad beans were just about bullet proof but they are not
setting pods either.

Can anybody help?

David

"David Hare-Scott" wrote in message
...
It's winter here, most of the winter crop is doing very well and the peas
and broad beans are growing well too. There are two sorts of peas,
shelling
peas and snow peas. All the peas and broad beans are flowering profusely
but none is setting fruit. There are plenty of bees active through the
day.
Both are planted fairly densely so that wind pollination should be quite
efficient.

I have been told that if you get frost on your pea flowers they will not
form pods. We get frost fairly regularly at night so this may be the
explanation there, although I would have expected a few of the flowers to
open in a frost-free interval or to be sheltered and to survive. There is
no frost damage visible to either plants.

I thought that broad beans were just about bullet proof but they are not
setting pods either.


Where are you and how severe is your winter? In UK we tend not to sow peas
until spring, the frosts are pretty much done before flowering. Broad beans
too, although we also sow an overwintering variety (aquadulce Claudia) for
an early harvest.

I think you have started too soon. Sow another batch. A small batch, then
you can sow another batch later in case the first lot gets frosted or fails
for other reasons.

HTH

Steve

"shazzbat" wrote in message
Where are you and how severe is your winter? In UK we tend not to sow peas
until spring, the frosts are pretty much done before flowering. Broad
beans
too, although we also sow an overwintering variety (aquadulce Claudia) for
an early harvest.

I think you have started too soon. Sow another batch. A small batch, then
you can sow another batch later in case the first lot gets frosted or
fails
for other reasons.

HTH

Steve



East coast Australia, winter nights are 10 to -4 C, days 10 to 20 C taken up
off the ground, on a clear night it would be 3 or 4 degres colder down on
the soil. We get frost mainly from June to August (not every night) but no
snow or frozen ground. Sowing time for cool season veges is a balancing act
it can be quite hot in autumn or spring.

David