Peas Help Me

[Buckeye Girl]

Just a quick question. I hope that someone can put my mind at ease.

I planted my 2nd batch of peas 2 weeks ago in some rolled newspaper pots, they have been kept outside in a coldframe.  To date, there is no sign of sprouting.  Is this unusual?  I have decided to bring in a few of the pots and place them in a dark warm spot to see if warming the soil might help speed things along. Is this ok?  I should also mention that prior to planting, I had kept the peas on some damp paper toweling in hopes of speeding things along.

It's such a shame because my first batch of new seedlings died when I carelessly placed them outside in the coldframe without giving them time to adjust.   :-[    ( A lesson I won't forget ).

I have brussel sprout seeds that were planted at the same time . . . and they have now broken the surface.     

Any thoughts ?

[Buckeye Girl]

[Jeannine]

 They could still come, other things to consider..

Had they germinated on the paper towel before you planted them?

Can mice get into your cold frame?

Could they be a bit too wet?

Or too deep?

I would gently poke around in a pot or two and see if you can find the seed,if it is mushy they have rotted. If sprouted then be patient, if vanished..mice, if still whole be patient. I had some broadies on my balcony which seemed to take forever then they started and now I am panicing!!

XX Jeannine

[Buckeye Girl]

One seed had started to sprout so I figured the others weren't far behind.

No mice  ;)

I used a dibber so I don't believe the depth could be a problem.   Too wet - not certain, don't think so.

Was bringing the seeds back in the house a good idea?

[goodlife]

If you bring your peas back in then you have to adjust them again outdoor temps...
as they are showing signs of germination I would leave them be..with this weather you don't have no hurry to get them into ground anyway..
...sounds like you are doing everything ok... :)

[1066]

I find when using paper / loo rolls for seed sowing the compost can get very dry, and a sploosh of water sometimes helps to speed things up  :)

[kmark]

i always start (germinate) my peas in 2ft lengths of guttering in the greenhouse this time of year,- when the seedlings are 2" above the surface i plant out.
         My first batch of peas have been out about 2 weeks now and are about 6" tall amongst the pea nettings.

                   Regards
                       
                            Mark

[bennettsleg]

I find that soaking the peas for c.24hrs until tiny little pea seed coloured sprout starts to appear, then sowing them at twice seed depth in narrow trays of seed compost works.  Once leaves are showing and strong they get planted out at a slightly deeper depth.  Always had success this way.

[galina]

One seed had started to sprout so I figured the others weren't far behind.

No mice  ;)

I used a dibber so I don't believe the depth could be a problem.   Too wet - not certain, don't think so.

Was bringing the seeds back in the house a good idea?

I place the seeds in newspaper pots or toilet roll inners on top of the compost, then cover with a tiny little bit of  compost, so they are barely covered and the seeds still show slightly.  Using a dibber suggest they might have been in too deep.  I do not presoak and water from the bottom.  I keep them indoors until they have grown at least a couple of inches, then harden off and transplant.  This way I can tell what has germinated and what has not, prevent overwatering and seed rotting.  In the warmth of an indoors windowsill seeds sprout quicker than in a coldframe or greenhouse.  If you have seeds left, start a reserve portion right now, because if you wait for a few more weeks, it will be too late to get a good crop, before pea maggotts start to take their toll. 

It is preferable to accommodate a few more plants than you wanted (should the others still come up), than leaving it too late .  Good luck. 

[Mortality]

My first try with peas wasn't so good either 1/8 germination, seems they were probabily too deeply planted and too wet.
My second batch of the same type was 8/8 germination, I made sure the seed was shallower and not overwatered.

[Robert_Brenchley]

I've been planting mine on the windowsill, then taking them down to the allotment and putting them in a mini-greenhouse once they were up. There haven't been any problems, and now it's warming up I'll probably be starting them in the mini-greenhouse to save windowsill space. The two things I worry about are cold and pigeons.

[Digeroo]

I put mine in damp kitchen roll until they have a small root.  It only seems to take a few days.  Then I put them outside under plastic bottles until they are about half way up the bottles.  If they come out the top  I definitely take off the bottle becuase I find I damage the leaves threading them back through.  They bottles are pigeon, mouse and squirrel proof.  I have been having problems with muntjac and they do not seem to get past the bottles.

Pigeons are a pest they seem to break the stems of the peas but not actually eat them.  So I find a neat row of severed pea shoots lying on the ground.

My suggestion would be to put the peas more or less on the surface of the compost just press them gently in  Then you will be able to watch the roots appear and remove any that rot off.

Mind you my bottle garden is not popular at the allotments.

[Vinlander]

You also get a neat row of severed shoots when the mice have followed them down to find the peas.

It's worth having a poke about to see if the peas have gone - sometimes you can see the 6mm wide holes they dig but they can also collapse and disappear depending on the soil and rain etc.

It's one good reason for growing climbing pea plants - it's manageable to grow the smaller numbers indoors (modules, guttering, fruit juice bricks) until they are 100mm tall and the seed is spent - less attractive to mice.

It would be good to find a much wider 'bottle' that could be sunk in to cover the packed rows of peas you need to grow Kelvedon Wonder etc. The plastic covers that fit a standard tray would be perfect but they are much too expensive.

I'm considering using tinplate etc. to make oblongs you could sink in and cap with a pane of glass - short 200mm sections of rectangular air duct would be perfect...