Pea plants are reasonably tough, and they’re growing fast in our polytunnels now so we are going to be shipping some of the earlier batches in the next couple of weeks.
For most parts of the country it should be okay to plant them out in the next couple of weeks, but do keep them protected particularly against strong, cold winds, and if there IS late snow on the forecast in your area, we would advise either temporarily planting in a bag of compost in a greenhouse/porch or covering with a cloche until the weather improves.
Cold weather can cause phosphorous deficiency, and the first sign of this nutrient deficiency is usually the rims of leaves turning a purple colour as pictured here. If you see this happening, and if it is cold, then it’s a sure sign that your peas are struggling with wind-chill. They are likely to recover, but you will need to do something to give them some warmth – a cloche or some horicultural fleece is usually enough to do the trick and they should bounce back to a vibrant green as soon as it warms up.
Don’t forget that, once you receive an email with a provisional delivery window, you can ask us to delay your delivery – for those living further north where spring snow is a much more likely scenario, this might be a good idea rather than receiving your plants and losing a lot to the cold weather.