Topic: Peas for next month

[cambourne7]

Hi Guys,

I need some advice i am going to be getting a bed for peas ready next month (its currently my fruit nursery bed and i need to finish building the beds for these plants before i can prepare it for peas)

I have some Feltham First and i am tempted to plant straight into the ground but given the problem with mice are there any tips on protecting them from being eaten???

Cambourne7

[calendula]

some people suggest rubbing the peas in a paraffin soaked rag (yuk) but I would suggest you sow in modules and plant out when germination had occurred and growth looks to be good - it's what I always do as sowing in situ can be erratic

[Lauren S]

I did see on a program a woman soaked her peas first in paraffin..
Soak them over night.

This article refers to mainly Sweet Peas but does also mention peas and beans too.

Lauren  :)


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/gardening/main.jhtml?xml=/gardening/2003/11/15/grave15.xml

[Nadia]

Hello Louise

I hope you are doing well.  A man in my allotment advised me that the best way to deter rats from digging peas from the groung is to soak them in paraffin before planting.

I hope it works. Let me know.

Regards
Nadia  

[manicscousers]

we sow ours in pieces of guttering and hang it in the poly, that way, they can't get hold of them  ;D

[kitten]

Sorry cam I don't know about direct sowing, but we sowed some last weekend to plant out some time next month once they've got going a bit.  ???

[OllieC]

Hey cam

We have lots of mice too. I finally cracked peas by getting them sprouting at home - bowl of water, soak, drain, repeated for a few days. In a week or so they have a cm long root & I sow them. This gives a head start, and they're up in about another week so far less exposure to mouses.

Good luck! Ollie

[davyW]

Nothing wrong with soaking them over night in parafin, it does work, but i have to agree with Manics, i think the best method by far is old guttering as well as nothing being able to get at them you can replace any ungerminated seeds, you get better germination as they are in a warm place also You can also hold them back should we get bad weather.

[calendula]

Hmm, plenty wrong with chomping on peas after their seeds have soaked up the nasties from paraffin - we have to remember that it was the victorians who, desperate to produce all year round, came up with all sorts of ways to make sure that seed germinated

I'm not sure we have to live like that but seeds continue to be bred to do so and unless you live in a temperate zone that is neither touched by frosts or fierce winds to spoil the crops the early sowings only come a few weeks earlier than spring sown ones - is it worth the risk

if mice are a problem (and they will be looking for food to store more so in winter then spring) then sowing in trays or modules solves the problem  :)

[cambourne7]

Thanks Guys,

Chatting to a fellow lotty holder today there peas were eaten not at pea stage but young green stage.

I think what i am going to do is to start some off in modules next week while my mini greenhouse is still outside (its going to be packed away to the garage soon). Then i think i will plant them out and give them some netting to help deter mice.  ;D

Also i have no idea where i might find parafin...  :o

I will let you know what i did and we can see if it works.

[RSJK]

I personally do not see any advantage of sowing peas to stand the winter, modern varieties seem to produce a crop just as early now sown in the spring. Try growing a variety called Misty available from Moles Seeds

[Robert_Brenchley]

I remember my father soaking them in an evil mix of red lead and paraffin. Not recommended! You could try germinating them in pots; mice lose interest once the seed disappears.

[silverbirch]

If they're being eaten at the green stage, it could be birds - especially pigeons.

[Weed-Digga]

Hi - This is my first post, so please be gentle with me!! Don't quite understand about planting peas now, do they stay dormant in the soil until the warmer weather in the spring, or do they start to grow? Are they winter hardy or do you need to cover them with cloches? Is it the same for broad beans sown now?

[Lauren S]

Hi Weed Digga and welcome to A4A.
I'm sorry I can't answer your question on peas as I'm new to veg growing this year. But there are many knowledgeable gardeners who can answer your Q's.

Lauren  :)

[Weed-Digga]

Thanks for the welcome Lauren, I'm new to this lottie lark - but I've learnt loads from A4A already. Just one problem though, it's a bit addictive isn't it!

[redimp]

I lobbed rhubarb leaves in with mine before I started using guttering. It worked in that I got a few - with out the rhubarb I got none.  I now use guttering and that is best of all if I can keep the snails off them. 

I also use to cover with sticks.

FAO Weed-Digga - round varieties will germinate now - and into November and will stand, growing slowly, over winter.  They are not as sweet as the wrinkled peas (round peas are marrowfat) but they are sweet if not left to grow too big.  They are worth it imo - its a bit more green on the plot during the long dark winter.  You do need to keep the pigeons off them mind.

[Lauren S]

Weed Digga, I have to agree, it's very addictive  ;D. And like you, I'm learning new things everyday. Invaluable site and so friendly too, which I like.

Lauren  :)

[RosieMcPosie]

WOOHOO! HELLO WEED-DIGGA- AKA MUMMY  :-*

[Jitterbug]

Mmm.. I'm still out on whether to plant any peas winter or spring - I had terrible bean weevil and got a few mange tout - the rest were mowed down by bean weevil/pigeons.... maybe I should plant in the greenhouse??  When do we harvest??

Jitterbug