Laxton's Progress Shell Pea is a heritage variety born from the careful work of Thomas Laxton, a legendary pea breeder working at the turn of the 20th century. These compact vines reach just 15 to 20 inches tall, making them manageable for spring gardeners without requiring extensive trellising, and they deliver tender, flavorful peas ready to harvest in just 68 days. Each plump pod yields 6 to 9 large peas that are deliciously flavored and perfect for shelling fresh or freezing at peak sweetness.
Full Sun
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20in H x 12in W
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Low
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Laxton's Progress lives up to its name with early harvests and remarkably productive short vines that won't sprawl across your garden bed. The pods are consistently full, yielding more peas per pod than many other shelling varieties, and the peas themselves are large, tender, and sweet. For spring gardeners who want dependable results without fussing over tall trellises, this 68-day variety delivers genuine flavor and abundance from a compact plant.
Laxton's Progress is grown as a fresh shelling pea, where the pods are split open to reveal the sweet, tender peas inside. These peas are excellent eaten raw straight from the pod on a spring afternoon, or lightly cooked in the traditional manner. The small, compact vines also make this variety practical for gardeners with limited space, and the quick 68-day harvest window fits neatly into spring planting schedules in temperate zones.
No timeline data available yet for this variety.
Sow Laxton's Progress directly into the garden at the first sign of spring, as peas dislike transplanting. Plant seeds when soil temperatures reach 45°F and climbing toward 75°F. Peas germinate quickly in cool spring soil and prefer to develop roots in place.
Harvest pods when they feel full and slightly firm to the touch, typically around 68 days from sowing. The pods should be plump with peas that have some give but aren't mushy. Pick regularly to encourage continued flowering and pod production. Open a pod and taste a pea; they're ready when sweet and tender, with just a slight firmness. Harvest in the morning when pods are cool and crisp for best flavor and storage quality.
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“Thomas Laxton, a renowned English vegetable breeder working around 1900, developed Laxton's Progress (also known as Laxton's Progress No. 9) as part of his mission to create superior pea varieties. Laxton was dedicated to advancing pea genetics through careful selection and crossing, and this variety stands as one of his enduring contributions to home gardening. The fact that gardeners are still planting his peas more than a century later speaks to both the quality of his breeding work and the variety's reliable performance across different growing regions.”