Sowing / Growing Peas

[flowerlady]

Hi all,  was just wondering ...

When I was a kid I can remember that peas were sown in trenches, and pea sticks distributed accordingly. 

Lately I've seen several TV programs where peas are planted singly, allowing for lots of space to spread.


What to you do?  And Why?   

Think I should have started a poll ..  Poll now started please post your preference  ;D

[flowerlady]

[growmore]

For quite a while i used to use a  home made peaboard .It's a flat piece of board With a handle on top with dowels   nailed ,screwed into under side of board  about just over an inch long and set about 2 ins apart ..The dowels were arranged like a double five on a domino..  So You just raked your bed flat  pressed the pea board into it and dropped a pea in each hole moving along as You did it.......This gave You a neat row of peas.. I have set them in gutters inside made a trench when they were ready for planting out and slid them into it out of gutter...
Also have used back of rake to make about a 1 inch or more deep drill same width as rake and just scattered peas in ...All seemed to work ,,cheers Jim..

[kenkew]

The usual way was/is to take out a trench and scatter the peas along it and cover them up. Quick but can be a bit wasteful.
Growmore: I like your idea, I suggest you put it in the Top-Tips section or even 'DIY On pea sowing.'

[flowerlady]

Great idea growmore, agree about the top-tip  ;D

[growmore]

Maybe  Someone on here has got a pea board ,,If one don't appear I will knock one together and put a pic of it on here. It is a tidy way of setting peas keeps them equal distances apart....cheers ..Jim

[jennym]

Here I do a shallow trench about 4" wide x about 2" deep by pulling the side of the rake through the soil, then watering the trench thoroughly. Peas are planted in a zig zag pattern along it, at the distance equal to 3 of my fingers (about 2"- I just measured) apart, then the soil is raked back over them. Then I tamp down the soil with the back of the rake to firm them in. This is the way my father used to do it, and I do it the same way, and get good crops of peas. Ususally the peas are already slightly sprouting before I sow them, as I generally put some moist compost in a seed tray and let them sprout in the seed tray first, just to the point where they start breaking through the surface of the compost.
Pea board sounds good though, would like to see that!

Just thought to add - very soon I will be cutting pea sticks from the hedgerows, twiggy bits to support the peas as they grow, before the hedgerows burst into leaf.

[Curryandchips]

All the best ideas are inherently simple, I am impressed by the pea board concept Growmore.

[grawrc]

Yes that sounds like a great idea Growmore. This year, however, I am already planting in my glass gutter substitutes.

[flowerlady]

The point is do you think peas are more productive with the extra space?  :-\

There seems little point to plant up a trench if the end result inhibits productivity  ???

[jennym]

They don't seem to need a lot of space to me, so will stick to trench. But still like Jim's pea board idea - maybe thats better though in softer soil? Maybe that's why some of us do trenches, because the soil's a bit heavier?