When to transplant Pea Seedlings?

[mjd42]

Hi All,

Of the things I am trying not to kill in my first year of growing my own fruit and veg, my pea seedlings seems to be doing the best, but I’m not sure at what state of growth I should be transplanting them in to my outdoor beds.

Please can I ask your your advise on this topic. I have attached some pictures of the growth as of today. They all look pretty good and are a week to 10 days old, and in the last days I have started to get some threads reaching out.

regards,
Matt

[ameno]

I usually plant mine out at about that size, but I also usually grow mine a lot more seeds to a pot, so they need planting out sharpish or they'll get pot bound.
Since yours are only one or two to a 9cm pot you could easily leave them a fair while longer without them getting cramped.
I wouldn't leave them too long, mind, as the seedlings will start to get very leggy, and leggy pea seedlings are fragile and easily damaged when you come to plant them out.

[Bren In Pots]

If you don't already do it you could start by taking them outside during the daytime to harden them off.

[mjd42]

Are the birds likely to have the shoots if not protected?

Just thing about transplanting them as they are really starting to grow out their tendrils.

We get a small selection of birds in our garden and I really don’t want to feed them my seedlings :-)

[mjd42]

Well that’s made a complication.

I have just uncovered my two raised beds from their cat poop protection sheets and I’ve found one of them is completely infested with ants.

[Bren In Pots]

Mjd i usually give the beds a good soaking ants don't like being wet.

have a read at this older thread.

https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...-friend-or-foe

[Penellype]

If you are worried about birds eating pea shoots (pigeons have attacked mine at the allotment) you can protect them while they are young with a net, or try black cotton around the seedlings about 3-4 inches off the ground. The birds can't see it and don't like touching it.

[Jungle Jane]

I’ve heard ants don’t like cinnamon sticks poked in the soil too but soaking the bed is the best idea,ants should move on,there’s so many here in the summer,it’s like our gardens built on top of a giant anthill,if you’ve got broad beans they’ll start farming aphids on them sneakily & on fruit trees too,Vaseline round the base of fruit trees might stop the ants.

[Plot70]

Ants are a major problem. if the aphids do not stick they kill the plant by digging all the soil out from under it and if that does not work they bury the leaves.
I spray them with crawling insect killer from Aldi or Asda.

[ameno]

I've never found ants to be too much of a problem with most plants.
The one exception seems to be brassica seedlings. Black ants will mass the stems at ground level and chew clean through them. No idea why.

If you are worried about birds eating pea shoots (pigeons have attacked mine at the allotment) you can protect them while they are young with a net, or try black cotton around the seedlings about 3-4 inches off the ground. The birds can't see it and don't like touching it.

With young pea plants I find sparrows are the main bird pest. They ravage the leaves and shoot tips. I've seen them doing it, half a dozen birds at a time. I have the same problem with beetroot seedlings and sparrows.