Allotments 4 All

I planted some peas in 3" pots 2 weeks ago.  I put 2 peas in each pot and so far I have only 4 stems in all coming up.  I emptied out one of the pots to see what was happening beneath the surface - but there was no peas there.  What happened to them, where did they go.  What am I doing wrong ??? ???

Welcome to A4A CQ...
I tend to put 10-12 into a 3"pot... but the missing might be mice, but should be signs of disturbance or rotting if too damp/cool... to solve both I put the pots in a seed tray and all in a sealable plastic bag, like those that family packs of 24 bread rolls come in...  :)

I dont think it was mice as they were on a shelf in the GH. Do you think I should just plant them straight into the ground

We are on our third successful direct sowing... we lay a sheet of glass over them to keep the mice out ( old window) mice can climb very well... so being on the shelf is no protection...  :-\

Only a couple of the peas I planted a month ago have appeared. I also had a look for them and they have disappeared. An experienced gardener thought it would be mice. I did see a mouse collecting crumbs from our barbeque one evening- I thought it was cute at the time but I'm not so sure now!. I was adviced to just keep putting more peas in. Thanks for the tip about the glass. I presume you remove it once the peas sprout - do the mice leave them alone then?

i have a prob with rats and squirel;s . more so the rats . ive tryed potting up so many seeds like broad beans an sweet corn but every time i put them out in my little green house plastik wotsit jobbie.. the rats just pull up the seeds and eat them .
so it's all out war now ive given them a chance and i will win  ive gone for in my final atack rat traps as in big mouse trap goonight

My peas are sown directly in the ground, and have come up very well.

I had a family of mice in my compost over the winter, but between the tawny owls and me airing the compost pile, they've gone.

Welcome to the site Jane...
As a rule they are less vulnerable once they are "up" but birds sometimes pull at them... I tend to go through a transitional week with the glass up on bricks to allow them to get a bit stronger...  :)

Thanks Saddad,
Another tip I've been given is to dip the peas in paraffin before planting. It doesn't hurt the peas but puts the mice off. I don't like the sound of it as I'm trying to be organic but I might give it a go.

If mice go after peas in a pot, you can usually see where they've been digging. Could it have been rot? They need fairly warm soil. Mine are going in, in pots, this week or next.

I'm still not convinced that it was mice as the soil was not disturbed. and as for rot - there was just no sign of anything in the soil????

Bacteria do a great clear up job at this time of the year...  :-\