Topic: Peas - Advice Needed

[cripery]

Hi There,

I am a fairly new gardener (vegetables for the first time) so excuse me if I ask silly questions.

I planted out my early onward peas on the 15th March. Only two have put up shoots so I pushed the soil back yesterday on the others and the pea seeds were there but they were all mushy and riddled with tiny little white worm type creatures. Can anyone tell me what these are and how to avoid it for next year?

Also will the soil be ok to grow other vegetables in or do I need to treat it, I have cats so I have to be careful what I put down.

Thanks  :(

[Jeanbean]

Hi Cripery and welcome to A4a. Hope you have a great growing season. I am unable to comment on the worm problem as I am new to this too. I have grown peas though in the past and do have some this year. I lost my first lot as they became waterlogged but I always plant them into individual pots first and then transplant them into the soil once they are about 4-6 inches high. This way I know that I have a pea at every support and if a pea doesn't show in the pot I try again. Some one will be along soon that does have the knowledge to help you. They are a pretty well informed lot on here.

[saddad]

Welcome to A4A Cripery...
The advice to start them off in pots is sound... they are mushy because they rotted the maggoty things are just cleaning up... not sure about the cats but as we put sh*t on anyway apart from putting your hands in it (yeuk!) there is no long term issue...  :)

[phoenix_co2]

Hi, these are my first ever peas, sown indoors on 12th march and then put outside on 28th March, ive put them in hanging baskets with some sweetpeas, hoping it goes right for me as was sposed to plant dwarf peas and went for the normal size by mistake, try plant some indoors on a nice warm window ledge and they should be growing in no time, good luck

[Justy]

Peas do not like too much water so it sounds like they got a bit waterlogged.  What is your soil like?  If it is like mine (pretty heavy clay) you will need to dig in lots of compost to stop it holding onto too much water. If you already have stuff growing nearby which means you can't do some digging then just put a few inches of compost on the top of the soil to plant the seeds in. You can then dig it over at the end of the season.   Make sure you cover the peas with chicken wire or mesh to stop the birds getting at them!

[Digeroo]

I sprout my seeds in damp kitchen roll on the windowsill and then plant them out after a few days when they have sprouted.   I look at them every few days and throw out any that have any rot on them.  I then cover them with plastic bottles and only water round the bottles and not directly on the peas. 

[Tee Gee]

There is still time to start again, I only sowed mine last week. If you do try gowing them this way;http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Peas/Peas/peas.html

[phoenix_co2]

looked at the slide show tee gee, marvellous, does it give slide shows for many other crops??

[manicscousers]

we do the grow them in guttering method, keeps them away from pests and when matted, they are pushed into a trench, 3rd lot this year just gone in (4' rows)  :)

[caroline7758]

How much time lapse between "ready to plant out" and"planted out, TeeGee?  ;)No,seriously, I have never succeeded with peas but am trying again this year. What protection do you give them?

[Trixiebelle]

I've tried the guttering method as well and it was great!

But the best lesson I learned was from Dario, one of our Italian gardeners:

Dig a trench, stamp it down and then LITERALLY chuck seeds in by the handful! No spacing required!

I never water peas in because I've had experience of the 'rotting' thing before. I just leave them until they make their own way to the surface and then water them & protect from pigeons.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I start mine off in pots, then plant them out when they're past the stage when they're vulnerable to birds. None of them have gone in yet.

[cripery]

Wow that's fantastic, thanks so much for the advice.

Yes my soil is heavy clay and yes I did water them a lot! Ooops. Oh well I'll know better next time, I'll plant some more indoors tomorrow and see how they get on.

Thanks again you have all been really helpful.

 ;D

[Tee Gee]

How much time lapse between "ready to plant out" and"planted out, TeeGee?

It can vary from year to year but a typcal year could be;

Sow last week in April,

Germination takes about a week

Plant roughly two weeks later say mid May

Harvesting 1st Week in July.

does it give slide shows for many other crops

http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Slide%20Shows/Slide%20Shows.htm

I didn't really want to make this page public knowledge for fear everyone will hit it all at once, particularly when I know that there are links to these slide shows in their respective genus.

Doing so might cause my website to use in excess of my allowable bandwidth.

So you have been warned!!  If this happens I will remove the page from my website.

So your co-operation would be appreciated.

[phoenix_co2]

thanks for the link tee gee, appreciated  ;)

[kt.]

Previously direct sowing has not worked for me but sowing in lengths of plastic guttering have always done well.  Having made the soil much finer this year with the Mantis,  I sowed a full pack of Feltham First early peas on 21st March.  The plants are all now about 2".  Yesterday I sowed a full pack of Onward peas directly in the ground as a successional crop. (Fingers crossed).  My main crops will be Alderman and even some Kelvedon Wonder if I have enough room.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I found direct sowing worked when I waited till May and used cloches to keep the birds off. These days I grow them up wigwams, and it's easier to plant them in pots and then plant them out in the right positions when I put the wigwams up.

[daileg]

i have over watered mine all ready this year as the germination rate has been poor the ones that have come up the birds have had them out of a 1.5 meter sowing three wide over a space of 8 inches so far have three and they have been in the ground for about 8 weeks well you learn as you go will be re sowing with less water as the storms havent helped with the cold nights tried to get them in early mmmmm too early i think

[Robert_Brenchley]

Probably, they don't like cold soil. Cloches or fleece would help with an early sowing, and keep the birds off as well.