Blue Bantam

Saturday, 12 September 2009 13:38

Description: The best first-early dwarf wrinkled pea. A very early maturing, large podded and tasty pea ideal for home gardens. Renowned for its flavour and the vigour of its growth. Peas do best in deeply dug, rich soil. Hardy annual.Burpee's Extra Early Blue Bantam bears abundantly long, handsome pods fully as large and equally as early as Gradus, while the vines require no staking. Blue Bantam is unequaled for combination of extreme earliness, superb quality, and unusual productiveness. The dwarf vigorous vines average fifteen inches in height and carry really enormous crops of large, deep bluish-green pods. The handsome pointed pods, generally borne singly, measure four to four and one-half inches long and are tightly packed with eight to ten extra large, deep bluish-green peas. These peas are not only large in size, but of most luscious flavor. The pods are ready to pick as early as American Wonder, while double the size; in fact, they average fully as large as Gradus! If sown thinly, say four inches between the seeds in the row, the produce will astound even experienced gardeners. Supply of seed is unfortunately limited and not more than two pecks can be sold to any one planter. When to plant: Autumn to Spring How to grow: Sow 15mm deep into a well drained garden bed. Add plenty of organic matter, and some pre-planting fertilizer. Sow into damp soil, press down firmly and don't water until seedlings appear. Protect young seedlings from birds and keep watered and weed free as plants grow. Pick frequently when pods are young. Harvest: 8-10 weeks Go to table of pea varieties