Mange Tout Rodney Mange Tout!

Mange Tout Rodney Mange Tout!

Posted on 22. Jun, 2009 by Tracey in My Veg Plot

‘Mange Tout Rodney’ was one of the many phrases that peckham wheeler dealer Delboy Trotter used in the UK’s best sitcom Only Fools and Horses. From the list of definitions on the BBC’s Delboy Foreign Lingo page, it actually meant ‘my pleasure’.

So for your pleasure please see the photos below showing my mange tout flowering.

The words Mange Tout come from the french words meaning ‘eat all’. The mange tout pod can be eaten whole as opposed to other peas which have to be podded first. They are crisp, sweet and succulent flat pea pods which can be steamed, boiled or stir-fried. Mange tout can also be eaten raw in salads.

How to Grow Mange Tout

Sow: March, April, May, June and July,
Harvest: July to September.

Varieties to choose from:

Sowing Instructions:

  1. Use a trowel to make a small flat bottom trench about 5cm deep,
  2. Water the bottom of the trench,
  3. Put the seeds a couple of inches apart in the trench and cover over with soil.
  4. Water well and label the row,
  5. If sowing another row make sure it is approx 5cm from the first trench.
  6. Staking with canes, willow or pea sticks will be required as they grow to 2 metres high.

Mange Tout can also be grown in a pot or container.
Seeds can be pushed into the compost approx 5cm deep and approx 1-2 inches apart and have some canes or an obelisk ready to support the plants.

Please click here to view my photos of the Variety Dwarf Sweet Green (Mr Fothergills) sown last year.

A selection of Mange Tout Recipes:

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8 Responses to “Mange Tout Rodney Mange Tout!”

  1. Lacy

    24. Jun, 2009

    Pretty cool post. I just found your site and wanted to say
    that I have really enjoyed reading your blog posts. Any way
    I’ll be subscribing to your blog and I hope you post again soon!

  2. Tracey

    24. Jun, 2009

    Hi Lacy,

    Thanks for your lovely comments. I’m glad you like my posts, I like writing them! I post quite regularly, every other day in fact, so there will be plenty more posts for you to read. Thanks again,
    Best Wishes
    Tracey

  3. john

    30. Jun, 2009

    Hi Tracey – our mangetout are just about finished, but we were dissapointed with the size of crop – enough to eat, but not enough to freeze (from 15 plants). I’m wondering, when picking them, should we also pick the old ‘flower head’ with the bean to encourage more growth, or just the bean itself?

    Also, i’ve heard that some beans can be cut back to encourage a second season – does this work with mangetout also?

  4. Tracey Bennett

    04. Jul, 2009

    I didn’t realise they have such beautiful flowers, much nicer than the peas I’m growing! I may try mange tout next year, is it just the Weggisser variety with those colour flowers?

  5. Tracey

    05. Jul, 2009

    Hi John,

    I think mange tout are the same as other beans like runners where there is one bean to one flower, so picking the old flower head will not encourage another bean to grow in its place. As the flower head is very delicate I find when I pick the beans the head comes off as well.

    I haven’t heard of the cutting back for a second season, so I’m not sure. I do know that mange tout is known for being a lot of hard work for a little crop but I find that there’s more to mange tout than just the crop as I simply love the flowers of the variety I have grown this year Weggisser. The tall stems and flowers look lovely in the vegetable garden, a little touch of cottage garden amongst my vegetables.

  6. Tracey

    05. Jul, 2009

    Hi Tracey,

    I have to say it was a pleasant surprise for me as well with the lovely colour of the flowers. I only started growing mange tout last year where I grew a dwarf variety which had nice white flowers and a good crop. This year I choose Weggisser from the Organic Gardening Catalogue simply because it was an organic variety and I’m trying to stick to organic seed where-ever possible this year.

    I had no idea what delight it would be to see the flowers, I would also recommend the variety for a heavy crop. I haven’t got many plants in my plot but the mange tout are certainly coming thick and fast! I would definitely grow it again next year.

  7. chris

    15. Jun, 2010

    so can anyone tell me please do i pick my mange tout above or belowe the flower as i am unsure and i cant find anywere that would explain this to me??
    many thanks fellow gardeners

  8. Tracey

    26. Jun, 2010

    Hi Chris,

    I tend to pull off the pods below the flower. I hold the flower head and pull the pod downwards to harvest them.

    Hope this helps
    Thanks
    Tracey

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