Peas are easy in a Scottish garden, and RHS recommends nine, all with the award. They differ in height, pod type, picking season and how much disease resistance they claim, so the choice is mostly about your space and what you want to eat.
Quick answer
Hurst Green Shaft for a heavy maincropThe main, usually latest-sown and longest-growing type of a crop, grown for bulk and storage rather than an early harvest. Full definition → of shelling peas. Jaguar for mildew resistance, Vivado for a compact climber, Delikata for mangetout and Sugar Ann or Delikett for sugarsnaps.
What Scotland means for the choice
Peas are widely grown in Scotland because cool summer weather delays maturity and extends the harvest period. They range from dwarfs of 45cm to tall varieties reaching 1.8m, so size matters on an exposed plot, where a tall climber needs a stronger support. All nine are rated H2The RHS's H1a–H7 scale for how much cold a plant can survive outdoors, H1a being tender indoor-only and H7 hardy anywhere in the UK. Full definition →: tolerant of low temperatures but not a hard frost. Powdery mildew is the disease most likely to end a crop late in the season, and a damp climate favours it, so resistance counts for more than in a dry area. Mice, slugs and pigeons are the other pests to expect. The pea growing guide covers sowing dates, supports and succession sowing.
| Variety | Type | Height | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hurst Green Shaft | Shelling, maincrop | About 1m | Heavy yield; about nine peas per pod; from late June; some downy mildew resistance |
| Kelvedon Wonder | Shelling, first early | About 60cm | Small, sweet peas from June; some resistance to powdery mildews |
| Jaguar | Shelling, second early | About 70cm | Heavy cropping; resistant to powdery mildew |
| Terrain | Shelling, maincrop | Climbing | Heavy crop of sweet peas; good disease resistance |
| Vivado | Shelling, late maincrop | About 60cm | Compact climber; sweet peas from May to September; disease resistance |
| Delikata | Mangetout | Not given | Sweet, crisp pods over a long season |
| Sugar Ann | Sugarsnap | Bushy | Early cropper; fleshy, sweet pods |
| Delikett | Sugarsnap | Dwarf | Eat whole pods or leave to mature for shelling |
| Cascadia | Sugarsnap | About 1m | Quick-maturing, fairly compact; short, tasty pods |
All nine hold the RHS Award of Garden Merit (AGMThe RHS's Award of Garden Merit: a UK-wide trials award for reliable performance, not a Scotland-specific recommendation. Full definition →).
Shelling peas
Hurst Green Shaft is a popular maincrop with a heavy yield of pods to 9cm and good flavour, ready from late June, good fresh or frozen. Kelvedon Wonder is a reliable first early with small, sweet peas from June, and can also be used as a maincrop.Jaguar is a heavy-cropping second early with good flavour.Terrain is a heavy-cropping climber with sweet peas and good disease resistance. Vivado is a late, compact climber that crops from May to September when sown in succession from March to June.
Mangetout and sugarsnap peas
Delikata is a mangetout with sweet, crisp pods over a long season.Sugar Ann is a bushy early sugarsnap with fleshy, sweet pods about 6cm long.Delikett is a dwarf sugarsnap, eaten whole or left to mature for shelling, and Cascadia is quick-maturing and fairly compact, cropping from early summer to early autumn with short, stout, thick-walled pods.
Which one for your situation
- A heavy crop of shelling peas: Hurst Green Shaft.
- Peas as early as possible: Kelvedon Wonder.
- Mildew a worry: Jaguar, or Terrain or Vivado for good disease resistance.
- A small or exposed plot: Vivado, or the dwarf sugarsnap Delikett.
- Edible pods: Delikata, or Sugar Ann or Cascadia.
Common questions
Which pea resists mildew?
Jaguar is resistant to powdery mildew, and has some resistance to downy mildews. Terrain and Vivado are described as having good disease resistance, and Hurst Green Shaft has some resistance to downy mildews.
Which peas are best for a small plot?
Vivado, a compact climber to about 60cm, or the dwarf sugarsnap Delikett.
What is the difference between mangetout and sugarsnap peas?
Both are eaten pod and all. Mangetout have flat, thin pods, and sugarsnaps have fleshy, rounded pods with the peas inside.
Sources
Show the 11 sources
- Peas: grow your own: The nine recommended varieties and AGM status; sizes from 45cm to 1.8m; Jaguar powdery mildew resistance; Terrain and Vivado disease resistance
- Organic vegetable production in Scotland (SRUC technical note 488): Peas widely grown in Scotland because cool summer weather delays maturity and extends the harvest period
- Pisum sativum 'Hurst Green Shaft': H2; about 1m; heavy yield; nine peas per pod; from late June
- Pisum sativum 'Kelvedon Wonder': H2; about 60cm; small sweet peas from June
- Pisum sativum 'Jaguar': H2; about 70cm; heavy cropping; some resistance to downy mildews
- Pisum sativum 'Terrain': H2; heavy crop of sweet peas
- Pisum sativum 'Vivado': H2; compact climbing maincrop to about 60cm; May to September
- Pisum sativum 'Delikata': H2; mangetout
- Pisum sativum 'Sugar Ann': H2; bushy sugarsnap; 6cm pods; early
- Pisum sativum 'Delikett': H2; dwarf sugarsnap
- Pisum sativum 'Cascadia': H2; about 1m; quick-maturing; early summer to early autumn