Allotments 4 All

Hi folks

My first daft question of the 2013 growing period...

I found some peat pots going cheap so decided to sow some peas in them. The peas have just germinated but the roots have penetrated the bottom of the pots already. Will I  need to get them in the ground ASAP to avoid the roots getting damaged?

Cheers

Gord

I'd have thought it a bit cold outside for babies just now so would advise potting on into deeper pots.   I use loo rolls for mine as they give extra depth for the roots to grow before they go out.

The ends of the roots will die off, called air pruning, but this will cause more roots to grow.
This is the principle of rootrainers and air pots.

Quote from: Chrispy on February 21, 2013, 16:14:55
The ends of the roots will die off, called air pruning, but this will cause more roots to grow.
This is the principle of rootrainers and air pots.

Good advice - don't worry about a few roots.

How deep are these peat pots?  How many peas in each?  If they are 4-5 inches deep and you have 6 plants or fewer in each, then they can stay there for another month.  If they are small peat pots and crowded, they need planting sooner and protecting.  It is still a bit early for planting out.  But if you have to, I would warm up a patch of soil with a cloche or with black plastic, plant them, protect each peat pot group with a cut off plastic bottle cloche and then chuck some fleece or a big cloche over the lot.  With this double cloching they should cope ok with sharp frosts in cold areas.  If you don't expect it getting down to less than -2C where you are, single cloches are ok.  I bottle cloche as a rule to protect from mice/voles.  Peas can tolerate a bit of frost even the more delicate wrinkleseeded types.  Roundseeded types survive almost anything (other than animals eating them). 

Bottle cloches are also useful because of 'windrock' - peat pot and contents being rocked loose in the soil by wind and drying out and the plants getting killed.  Plant a little deeper than the top of the peat pots to make sure the pot has good contact with the surrounding soil.  This will also hide the rest of the seeds that are still attached to the little plants above soil level.  Mice nibble these off and although the plants already have roots, they often don't survive without the rest of the seed. 

Good luck

Think mrs Blackbird eat most of my peas last year.. does anyone usually protect them from this?

It's pigeons which go for mine. They need protecting until the tips are above pigeon height, and again as the peas develop. Pigeon problems vary enormously from place to place, so it's a matter of seeing what happens in your situation.

On my plot we have have to net almost everything against pigeons until it's a foot or so high. Double-cloching should keep them OK, but for most of us it's a bit early yet for peas...

I'm sitting here drooling over my pea seeds, but I won't be planting for another month or so, and then they'll be in pots under cover till they get started.

I use guttering to get my early crop started then plant out when I can in early spring... Peas in pots to me are a waste of time due to the amount that a line of peas need at around 12 seeds per foot. A row is 14' so need 170 pea seeds - if all grown in pots at 4 each. Thats around 45 pots needed ... Naah easier to plant in guttering and easily slide sections out when planting - or plant direct asap in Spring under a cloche.

Guttering for the short ones and used milk cartons for the tall ones

I grow mine up wigwams so pots make sense. One goes in at the foot of each pole, and another halfway between them.