Peas and beans are an excellent vegetable crop to grow - even if you don't have room for a vegetable garden. They can be grown up wigwams, trellis or against a fence, and smaller dwarf varieties can also be grown in containers. Some cultivars, such as scarlet runner beans (Phaseolus coccineus) are particularly decorative with pretty flowers or striking foliage.

Both peas and beans grow best on deep, well-drained soil with plenty of organic matter. If you have poor soil, it is worth cultivating it the autumn before planting, and incorporating a large amount of well-rotted organic matter. These plants also require a sunny, frost-free site, sheltered from strong winds.

Sowing Peas

Pea seed can be sown in March either indoors (in a greenhouse or cold frame) by placing two seeds per 7.5 cm (3 in) pot, or outdoors in mild regions. However, if you live in a cold region, you should wait until April before sowing outdoors. Although peas will germinate at 4°C, they will do so far quicker at their preferred temperature of 10°C. Create a seed drill 10 cm (4 in) wide and about 2.5-5 cm (1-2 in) deep, sowing the seed thinly - approximately 1 seed every 5 cm (2 in) each way. Cover the seeds with soil, and insulate with a garden fleece if severe weather is forecast.

Sowing Beans

French beans require a slightly higher temperature to germinate than peas (12°C) and should be sown later - in April for indoor sowing or late-May for sowing out doors. When sowing indoors, sow 2 seeds to a 12 cm (4 3/4 in) pot and keep at 12°C. Grow them on until they are 15 cm (6 in) tall and then harden them off before planting outside. If sowing the seed directly outdoors, wait until May (late-May in colder areas), before sowing the seed 4 cm (1 1/2 in) deep and 15 cm (6 in) apart.

Hardening Off Indoor Grown Plants

Before planting outside, any seedlings raised under cover must be acclimatised to lower temperatures by hardening them off in a cloche or cold frame over 10-14 days. The amount of ventilation that young plants receive should be increased gradually every day, and then also at night until they are hardy enough to be planted out.

Support

Most peas and beans will need support; this can be achieved by a number of methods:

• A wigwam of canes
• A netting support fixed to a frame
• Pea sticks

Always put the supports in place before, or shortly after, the seedlings emerge. If the first shoots fall onto the ground, wind them anti-clockwise round the support and tie them in; they will eventually cling on by themselves.

Maintenance

Mulch around the plants with well-rotted manure, compost or grass cuttings to help retain moisture and suppress weeds. Peas should only need a extra watering when the plants are in full flower and the first pods are starting to form, whilst beans will need a much more generous schedule of watering - 10 litres of water per sq m once a week.

When the plants reach the top of their supports, pinch out their growing tips to encourage the formation of side-shoots. When the crop is ready to harvest, regularly pick all peas and beans that are ready to encourage the production of more peas and beans.