Produce > Edible Plants
The mystery of the disappearing pea seeds.
George the Pigman:
This year I have sowed several rows of peas and only one has come up (Sugar Snap). I re-sowed with new bought seed packeted this year in case the original seeds I had had lost their viability (they were 3 years old) but to no avail. On examining the line I had sowed them in not a single pea seed was visible with no signs of disturbance of the soil
Now I know mice and birds love them but I would have expected to see signs of disturbance on the surface. Rotting seems unlikely as it has been pretty dry here.
Any suggestions? Are they being attacked for above or below by something that leaves no trace?
small:
I gave up direct pea sowing for this very reason - no evidence of any disturbance but no evidence of germination or indeed ungerminated seeds! Now I sow a few to a small pot and plant out at about 4 inches high, I don't even bother to net against pigeons any more, and it seems to work. Mind you, the drought conditions this year and my inability to weed has somewhat curtailed the crop....
gray1720:
I've been finding the same - my suspicion is that unsterilised compost isn't good for sowing peas in. Though some have germinated well, others not at all, so the evidence is... thin!
JanG:
Mice and voles seem able to operate happily underground with only the occasional hole to indicate their presence. I often find whole warrens of underground tunnels where I hadn’t seen any evidence of activity on the surface.
Like Small I always grow peas in modules as germination is almost nil here in the ground.
To my surprise though, I tried direct sowing a couple of patches of broad beans this season as I had a lot of spare seed. It was quite successful. Perhaps peas are the feast par excellence for small rodents.
George the Pigman:
Netting the seeds did the trick so they were being gobbled from above. I suspect our feathered friends! But they hid the evidence of the robbery well!
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