I set a batch of peas out a few days ago, and I’ve just started another indoors.
These past two years I’ve been using a method I found on the Real Seeds website, in the archives of their newsletters I think.
The basic problem in our area is if you direct sow pea seeds, they often just don’t come up. I guess there are a few reasons for this, rotting in cold ground and getting eaten by mice, perhaps others. Anyway the solution is to start them indoors.
I used to start them in individual pots, but this was really time consuming as well as needing a lot of potting soil. The secret I learned from Real seeds is to just sprout them in paper towels (called kitchen roll in some places)! That’s all you need is for the seeds to have sprouted, and they won’t rot in the ground and the mice won’t eat them! This really saves a lot of trouble.
When you plant them, instead of sowing heavily in expectation of germination that’s less than 100% and thinning later, you can sow the distance apart you want the plants to be, because most will grow.
This has worked really well for me so far! Does anyone else grow peas this way?
I’d thought about trying to grow them this way, but did not do it. We have peas that have been in the ground two weeks and one week, no sign yet.
I’ve soaked pea seeds in water overnight before I direct seeded them but it didn’t seem to make much of a difference.
Peas have caused me problems in the past, mostly rot and squirrels. Last year I sowed in peat pots this year I am trying rootrainers. I like to give them a head start in my climate. I go the potting soil route a month in advance of planting in the coldframe.
Peas work well in root trainers. The main problem, in my experience, is when you come to plant them out. Pea stems are delicate and seem to be particularly prone to bending at or near the base, especially if you’ve started your plants off early and their quite tall by the time of planting out. In some instances the stems break, or translocation is affected, checking the plants’ growth. If you’re growing tall peas this problem may be worse. Maybe I’m just clumsy…..
I have used that method for a good few years. As long as they are well sprouted it gives very reliable sowing. . I don’t bother with the tissue – I just put them in a tupperware box with a bit of water, sloosh them around, and snap on the lid ready to take them to the allotment the following day. (optional) Add some crushed garlic to the water to dissuade mice from digging up the sprouting seed.
Another method which sounds improbable, but works very well is to raise them in the ‘compact plug tray’ made by Agralan ( the grey one which automatically ejects the plugs). This uses hardly any soil, roots are air-pruned, and the mini plants are so easy to transplant- just dropping the plug into a dibbed hole. This is not for extra early crops – they cannot be kept for more than a couple of weeks in the plug tray. Root trainers for super early crops.
Hi Ian,
Thanks for the comment. I like the idea of just soaking in water. I also like the idea of garlic to deter mice. The compact plug tray also looks like a clever and not too expensive product.
I like the idea of having a blog about growing oca. Like you said in one of your posts, man cannot live on oca alone, but it’s certainly a crop with commercial potential in Europe.
And yes, a lot more work needs to be done with inter-cropping. It’s not something commercial farmers like to think about, because mono-cultures are so profitable in today’s world, but it’s something that needs to be taken more seriously.
Thank you so much for the advice!!! This is the first year for my veggie patch, and so far I’ve had no luck whatsoever with the seeds I direct sowed. My indoor seed starting kits, however, are thriving. I really wanted to start some peas but didn’t think I could. Will try your method as well as Ian’s.
Update: It seems like it worked well again this year. I’m not sure 100% of the plants are growing, but certainly more than 90%.
Yes, it’s an amazingly practical method! I’m a perfectionist when it comes to plant organization (all my vegetables must be spaced equally apart or it drives me mad), so I definitely love pre-sowing seeds in towels.