Hurst Green Shaft has long been one of the favourite varieties peas for several good reasons. It's a second early variety so in normal circumstances it will start cropping in mid June onwards. The best plan is to first sow the seeds outside in early to mid March. Then sow again in late April / early May.

The second sowing will extend the cropping season of Hurst Green Shaft, giving you peas over three months. Don't overdo the successional sowings though because later sown peas will catch up with earlier sowings.

The pods are medium to long in length (average 10cm / 4 ins) and an attractive dark green colour. With Hurst Green Shaft you will get a very large crop of peas. Each pod on average contains about nine medium to large size peas.

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The bushes grow to around 70cm (2ft 3in) high and the peas tend to be produced mainly on the top half of the bush. This makes Hurst Green Shaft an excellent choice of pea if you dislike bending down to search for your peas amongst a mass of foliage.

Awarded a RHS AGM in 1993, this was reconfirmed in 2005 with another AGM. A key indicator that this variety of pea is worth growing in your garden. You can buy Hurst Green Shaft seeds online from our recommended supplier by clicking here.

Cultivation is standard for peas. Sow in early to mid March 3cm (1¼in) deep with each seed roughly 5cm (2in) apart. If sowing more than one row, space them 70cm (2ft 3in) apart. See the main pea page for more detailed cultivation details for peas in general.

Hurst Green Shaft is a good choice for disease resistance. It's resistant to both downy mildew and fusarium wilt.

Hurst Green Shaft produce medium sized very sweet peas. They are delicious eaten freshly picked. Forget the shop varieties which may be several days old, Hurst green Shaft straight from the garden are far, far superior. From personal experience we can confirm that they are ideal for freezing. Just make sure that you have enough room in your freezer!