Topic: peas

[alit]

 i planted  about 60 peas and only 13 have come up. i put pea sticks in the ground straight away after planting.  what have i done wrong.

[thomasb]

Last year I sow a set of peas and most were taken by mice. One could see where each one was dug up.

Thomas

[Philbasford]

ive sown mine and put loads in , about 60% have germinated , so not to bad, rest i am protecting with white fleece at moment

[Merry Tiller]

Mice, slugs, rot, take your pick ???

[alit]

ok, thanks.  but how do i protect against all thse things.  is it best to raise in pots first.  Rather a lot of pots.  is there any better way or raising firect in ground. It sounds like this is fairly normal for peas then

[Robert_Brenchley]

When did you plant them? They're liable to rot if the soil's cold and damp. I put mine in under cloches, and they're coming up thick and strong.

[Merry Tiller]

A bit of polythene stretched over them would keep damp & birds away, bury holly leaves or hawthorn twigs with them to deter mice and beer traps for the slugs, problem solved.................probably ;D

[euronerd]

Hi alit. I've posted this pic before, but I'm sure most people won't mind. It's just a bit of guttering as wide as my beds with about 40 peas in it planted zig zag fashion. Before they go in there, I germinate them in a plastic bag with a bit of damp compost in. Even after planting out (which was two days ago), I chuck a bit of chicken wire over them to keep the birds off, and some means of slug control.

hth.

Geoff.

[Toadspawn]

Having had failures last year with less than 50% germination I planted peas in modules in the GH this year and was therefore able to transplant a full row.

[artichoke]

I'm really fed up with past failures in germination and am going down the presprout route this year. I wrapped about 50 peas in a damp cloth on a plastic tray in the airing cupboard, and planted them out (protected with netting) only when a small root had emerged. Every one is up now, and I am about to do the same with beans and squashes.

I also have guttering under a pane of glass (deeply envious of your greenhouse) containing emerging presprouted psb, kale, parsley, parsnips and a few other things. It is surprising how many seeds didn't germinate in the airing cupboard.

To me, one big advantage of presprouting is that it removes the need for thinning, such a depressing and uncomfortable chore. You use only as much seed as you need, and sow it at the correct spacing to start with. Another is that you can use up old seed packets without the bother of sowing them in the ground then finding that they don't work. They go in the damp cloth in the airing cupboard, and if they don't sprout, I don't waste time using them.

Somewhere here I read that it is easier to slide out the contents of the gutters if you line them with netting. I'm going to try that next.

[alit]

thanks for the advice everyone.  i will pre-sprout some more then as it is so disappointing to see my pathetic rows.  Not too late now is it?

[keef]

I always lay sticks and twigs over the top of the row, fruit bush prunings etc... seems to put off birds and mice a bit. This year I sprinkled a bit of growmore in the drill when i was sowing them, almost all of them have come up.

[bennettsleg]

thanks for the advice everyone.  i will pre-sprout some more then as it is so disappointing to see my pathetic rows.  Not too late now is it?

I'd keep on sprouting & planting. but then I'm a complete amateur and giving enerything a try! I pre-sprouted two lots, some failed, some fermented and had to be whipped out, but it meant that only the good'uns were potted on/planted and they're all growing well, surrounded by slug pellets and under a cloche. No mesh in yet, that'll happen when we get back from hols.

[Tee Gee]

This is how I prepare mine, I find it better than guttering because they are easily moved around.

They usually germinate in about a week, and I allow them to grow upto 50mm(2") high before planting the plugs out.

I also find this method ensures no gaps in the row due to bad germination.

[Gillian]

I tried the guttering method too and it worked. I have a full row of peas in and they are doing fine. The only thing I will do next year is to get them in the ground soon. They were a 'stuck' in the guttering because I had left them in too long and the roots were going crazy.