Peas rotted again

[Penellype]

Peas should be fine after 2 years and ok but not great after 4. However it does depend a bit on the conditions they have been kept in - if they have got damp at any stage they will not germinate. Seeds kept in plastic bags can sweat and this can lead to very poor germination. It may also depend on the variety, I'm not sure.

This spring I sowed Douce Provence peas from a packet which said packed 2016 sow by 2018. I last sowed some from this packet in 2018 when they were fine. Not a single pea germinated this year, they simply rotted.

[robbra]

I tried the tissue method and so far half a dozen sprouted and are in the frame and hoping for a few more. I've also sowed some in trays in the heated propagator so belt and braces.

[Marb67]

I did try the tissue method a couple of years ago but they just went black and mouldy. The peas left in the sprouting jar have all gone to a smelly mush despite washing them daily with fresh water and draining, just damp.

I give up as they have been in a cardboard box in the shed over winter. The shed is brand new but felt damp but still shouldn't affect things like peas as they were dry in their packets.

[veggiechicken]

Maybe they got too hot in the shed? That will affect seeds as much as being damp.
Sorry you're having so little luck with your peas, Marb.
I push peas into modules - about 3/4 to a module. Give them a watering and put them aside and ignore them. I don't water them again unless the compost is dust dry.
As the peas absorb the water in the compost, they rise to the surface. I top them up with more compost to keep them covered until the green shoots poke through. Then its into the light in the GH.

Don't give up. If you tell me what type of peas you want to grow (tall/dwarf/sugarsnap) I'll send you some pea seeds. I'm sure I have more than I'll ever grow!

[nickdub]

I did try the tissue method a couple of years ago but they just went black and mouldy. The peas left in the sprouting jar have all gone to a smelly mush despite washing them daily with fresh water and draining, just damp.

I give up as they have been in a cardboard box in the shed over winter. The shed is brand new but felt damp but still shouldn't affect things like peas as they were dry in their packets.

Pea seeds never stay dry if you put them anywhere where the atmosphere is even slightly damp as they absorb moisture from the air, so unless your shed is much drier than mine I'd say that is your problem. It would be better to keep them somewhere warmer but drier over winter, if you are going to keep them in paper/cardboard.

A better bet is to store open packets of pea seeds in some sort of sealed container once you have sucked as much air out as possible.

I store mine in a plastic bag in the sitting room desk, as that's about the driest place I have available even then 2 years is about the max for storing using that method. Longer term storage involves freezers, silica gel etc and is too much of a faff for a £1 packet of seed imo.

[robbra]

I had a few more from my plate/tissue in a plastic bag and they are planted. Let them get dry several times and none rotted.
in my propagator with heat they are already bursting at the seams after only five days.
I don't like to give in``
I now think I planted in the raised bed too early and cold. Despite what it says on the packet I'll do it this way in future.
Thanks for the help mcd and nick
Lesson learned

[Marb67]

Maybe they got too hot in the shed? That will affect seeds as much as being damp.
Sorry you're having so little luck with your peas, Marb.
I push peas into modules - about 3/4 to a module. Give them a watering and put them aside and ignore them. I don't water them again unless the compost is dust dry.
As the peas absorb the water in the compost, they rise to the surface. I top them up with more compost to keep them covered until the green shoots poke through. Then its into the light in the GH.

Don't give up. If you tell me what type of peas you want to grow (tall/dwarf/sugarsnap) I'll send you some pea seeds. I'm sure I have more than I'll ever grow!

Thank you for the kind offer but I will see how well the actual ones do they had shoots and I planted in pots. I think one was Bingo (small variety for in containers) Hurst, early onward and Kelvedon wonder. They are all mixed up now so I won't know which is which if and when they come up.

[nickdub]

I had a few more from my plate/tissue in a plastic bag and they are planted. Let them get dry several times and none rotted.
in my propagator with heat they are already bursting at the seams after only five days.
I don't like to give in``
I now think I planted in the raised bed too early and cold. Despite what it says on the packet I'll do it this way in future.
Thanks for the help mcd and nick
Lesson learned

You're very welcome - if I made a list of all the numbskull things I've done in the garden, it would run to several pages :-)

[annie8]

I just had the peas I took from last years crop in a yogurt pot in the greenhouse overwinter. Started a few early in the greenhouse and the rest just went in the ground the other week. All had a little chitting before putting them in but didn't see much in the way of roots so bunged them in anyway and got decent germination.

[Can the Man]

In my poly tunnel, I put some damp compost in a set of modules, then sat a pea into each module, But did Not cover them. These peas are about 2 or 3 years old, after about a week they have started to germinate, I have kept an eye on them during the week and sprayed a drop of water where I felt the compost was drying. I intend potting them up tomorrow or Friday with more compost to fill the module and hopefully we will have success. I have also taken the same approach with 2 year old petite pois but no sign of any germination here. I’ll try post some photos tomorrow.

[Can the Man]

In my poly tunnel, I put some damp compost in a set of modules, then sat a pea into each module, But did Not cover them. These peas are about 2 or 3 years old, after about a week they have started to germinate, I have kept an eye on them during the week and sprayed a drop of water where I felt the compost was drying. I intend potting them up tomorrow or Friday with more compost to fill the module and hopefully we will have success. I have also taken the same approach with 2 year old petite pois but no sign of any germination here. I’ll try post some photos tomorrow.