Protecting peas from mice

[ChrisE]

I think I'm right in saying peas can be soaked in pararfin? before sowing to protect them from being eaten by mice.

I don't have any parafin, so was wondering if meths, white spirit or good old unleaded petrol would have a similar effect or simply kill the seed?

Any tips from wise old grapes? sorry if it's a really daft question.

Chris

[kate&rob]

i was talking to a chap at our lottie site about mice and peas, he said he's tried soaking in all sorts and none of it worked efficiently.
all mine were eaten last year so this time i'm planting all mine in paper pots to plant out later and had very few failures.

[zazen999]

I've heard that, but I sow mine and transplant when a couple of inches tall....you can germinate in a bag and transplant once they have split and a root has come out...they don't like it once they have germinated apparently.

[ann-the-nan]

Protecting peas from mice.

Had the same problem myself. I covered it all with fleece, and set a few mice traps. got a nice crop of mice, and all is well now. (That means that either the mice are all deceased - or they are too scared to try anything out!)

[ChrisE]

I think I'll try to germinate them in a bag then plant. I accidentally did that with my chilli's a few months ago...

cheers,

Chris

[Two_Sheds]

I soak mine overnight, then sprout them in a glass, rinsing with cold water every day until they sprout.
Then I plant them into paper pots of compost, or just plant them direct.

* the CD is to scare the sparrows, who will strip pea plants
** the milk bottle is for watering - to get right to the roots without drenching the soil surface

[lez]

using parafin works but the smell is awfull. I was told about using T Tree oil. I mix it in a slightly soapy water then add two drops of tea tree oil. soak the peas overnight and sow them next day. so far I have had great results. the tea tree oil is pricey but you only need a few drops and the water can be used to soak other seeds and keep the mice away.

[Two_Sheds]

Lez: Tea Tree Oil is about 99p in Superdrug

[Meschuee]

Good tips. I have just received mange tout pea seeds from "Real Seeds", "Golden Sweet", a yellow-podded pea which the label states is "incredibly rare", so I want to grow them as safely as possible and will put them into individual little plug pots. I also have a dwarft pea from RS's, "Hatif d' Annonay", which I'll grow the same way.

I hadn't though of sprouting them first.

Penny

[ecoprincess]

Meschuee, they're what Im growing too

Can't wait to see if I get a good crop from it!

[Geordie]

If you sow them outside you could try scattering some holly leaves or crushed eggshells over the drill, too sharp for the mice to bother with.
I sow mine in the cardboard fruit boxes from supermarkets with some compost in....when about 3 or 4 ins high transplant into position.
Or try the gutter method...posted on here before, saves the work of transplanting.

[King Carrot]

Tis the birds that take ours, unless I protect them when they're just breaking through the soil they nip the stem of every one of them. My fleece blew off 3/4s of the row of peas last year and the buggers snipped practically every one and also went about 2 ft under the fleece before they "chickened out".

[Meschuee]

Looks as though I'll have to protect them by netting, too. I have a holly tree right next to where I plan to grow the peas.

That's nice, ecoprincess - hope you get a good crop. I'll let you know how mine do. I enjoyed your blog. I have relations in Barnsley as my dad was from Hull.

The fruit box method sounds interesting and the guttering.

Penny