Peas are stubborn to germinate

[gledhillbo]

I garden in Lancashire near Morecambe Bay. I have always struggled  to get peas to germinate. I use the south facing window cill and a west facing cold frame 4ft up from the ground for germinating lots of veg.

I got some twinkle peas to sprout and they are now in the garden and steady, hurst are just starting to look at the outside world, but is there some magic trick to get peas to germinate? Is it a soil temp thing? Should I be soaking the peas in water before putting in the pots? Am I just too early?- Bob

[gledhillbo]

[Roy Bham UK]

;D I'm a total novice and have managed nearly 100% germination in 3" pots toilet roll inners, modules and cut-up plastic milk bottles, maybe the secret recipe was 10ltr bags of seed compost @10p per bag at the Asda Sale last year ;D

[the_snail]

A Tip soak the pea seeds in water for 24 hours then sow them in the soft cultivated ground water well and protect from mice and you will have good pea plants. Or grow in pot in a coldframe.

[legless]

my first batch direct sown didn't germinate, my second and third have had 100% germination, i sowed them in guttering just left outside but supported 18" off the ground to try and stop the mice.

[Rox]

Has anyone tried chitting peas on damp kitchen towel? So far I've had some good luck with this technique vis-a-vis my sunflower seeds, courgettes, french beans, runner beans and soya beans. Worth a shot?

[westsussexlottie]

I put them in a grow bag and keep it very damp - has great success and easy to transplant them later on.

[kenkew]

The quantity of peas usually sown make it impracticle to chit them on kitchen towelling. Soaking them over night is usually all that's required. Chuck 'em in a pan/pot/bucket and sow them in a freshly made shallow trench. If it's a hot sunny day, go along the trench with a watering can first and again after covering the peas. If the soil is very dry it will rob the peas of the moisture they took up in the soaking.

[Roy Bham UK]

Has anyone tried chitting peas on damp kitchen towel? So far I've had some good luck with this technique vis-a-vis my sunflower seeds, courgettes, french beans, runner beans and soya beans. Worth a shot?

Yes I have had success doing them that way someone on here mentioned putting a damp paper towel in a jar and dropping a few peas in and watch em grow and they did. ;D

[Lizard Man]

This is my second year of growing them and I just plant out directly into the lottie bed. No soaking. But put netting around them to stop the bigger nibblers (mice, rabbits and pigeons). My success rate has been good (though certainly not 100% - perhaps more like 60-70%). I think they like the soil to be nicely warmed up before being sown. My lottie is in the south-east. Despite having a poor spring this year they are now about three inches high.

Next year I will try soaking them first to see if I can achieve better germination.