pea crossing question

[small]

I've grown ordinary peas and sugar peas close together this year. I would like to save some seed from both, but will they have cross pollinated? I know there are some pea experts on here, can one of you advise please?

[small]

[galina]

No problem Small, the chance of crossing is minimal 

Go right ahead and save those seeds 

[small]

Brilliant, thanks Galina! I've always saved beans, but never tried peas, I'll give it a go. The list of things I am managing to save seed from is growing, not that I'll ever reach self-sufficency in that, I wouldn't waste a precious cauliflower by letting it run on...

[Silverleaf]

Even worse, with cauliflowers (like all brassicas) you need to waste a bare minimum of twenty of them!

Galina's right, you're fine to save seeds as peas only extremely rarely cross.

[small]

thanks, Silverleaf, I knew you experts would know.....so if you want to try crossing pea varieties, you have to faff around hand pollinating and stuff? I'd never have the patience!

[galina]

thanks, Silverleaf, I knew you experts would know.....so if you want to try crossing pea varieties, you have to faff around hand pollinating and stuff? I'd never have the patience!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq7-JGRmFBc 


just in case 

[Silverleaf]

thanks, Silverleaf, I knew you experts would know.....so if you want to try crossing pea varieties, you have to faff around hand pollinating and stuff? I'd never have the patience!

Honestly, once you've learned how to do it it's really easy and quick. I use a scalpel and it takes less that 5 minutes. A steady hand does help though!

[Jayb]

you have to faff around hand pollinating and stuff? I'd never have the patience!

It's not too much of a faff, especially if you are only doing a few.
Interesting video, thanks Galina. Must admit I don't use a scalpel and only sometimes a tweezers, I find using my fingernail to take the male bits off works well.

[galina]

I do it pretty much like the video, except that I take my glasses off.  I am shortsighted and see much better close up without them.  Often people use headband magnifier glasses (especially the older folk) to cross peas.  The trickiest part is to mark the hand pollinated flower afterwards.  I just use colour coded sowing threads, a jewellery tag is fairly heavy for a brittle pea flower and deteriorates in rain.

I like the filming technique in the video.  Every step is shown twice, once as it is performed and a second time close up.