How do you chit peas?
I have sown around 250 this year, and only 4 have come up. So, I'm going to try again by chitting them.
Do you just leave them in a pot full of water for 4 hours, or do you leave them on soaking wet kitchen roll? If its the latter, how do you then sow them?
This is how I do my first sowing of the year.
http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Peas/Peas/peas.html (http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Peas/Peas/peas.html)
At planting out time I sow another row in a shallow trench(1" deep) as normal to extend the cropping season!
QuoteI have sown around 250 this year, and only 4 have come up
Stop doing whatever it is that you are doing! Not an expert but if you bung the unchitted peas into peat pots with good quality compost, water them well and make sure they dont dry out, you will probably get a few hits.
Have you been sowing directly into the soil?
:-\
Have birds or mice been getting them? The only time I've ever had dencent results sowing direct was when I cloched a row, which had the effect of keeping marauding airborne rats off.
Mice/ Wood pigeons was my first thought, hence asking if they were sown direct.
We use a piece of cast iron pipe to support the glass just at one side. It keeps the birds off... the mice have to be brought to a closer understanding of my murderous intent... :-X
I put mine in damp kitchen roll and put on north facing window sill. When they have small root I plant out under plastic bottles, when green shows I remove plastic bottle. (unless planted very early).Get very high success rate.
Got 18 peas in a seed swap recently and now have 18 little pea seedlings.
I sowed them directly into drills lined with compost. I placed the seeds 1" apart and covered with 2" of compost, and watered in well.
I have also done some in newspaper pots, and about 10 out of 19 have germinated.
The seeds that I have left have been soaked overnight in water, and I will rinse them daily until they start to sprout. Hopefully, I can them plant them in peat pots.
Are you sure they like being soaked overnight, rinsed and then watered well. I keep them just damp. Once they are in the soil I do not water them directly but water outside the plastic bottle cloche.
This is the first year I've planted peas. I planted about 30 straight into the soil and nearly half have come up, and seem to be doing okay. I must be lucky.
A couple of hours soaking is plenty, just to rehydrate the peas
Thoroughly wet the compost in the root-trainers/cell inserts then place in a flat seed tray half filled with water
Push the soaked peas their own depth into top of compost
Place on windowsill for a few days, then greenhouse once germinated
Quotenearly half have come up
Great but what happened to the other half?