About to sow peas and am a bit baffled!

[Croila]

Hello,

Just wondering if anyone would be kind enough to tell me if my plan for sowing peas is okay, or if I'm going off on the wrong track, please?

I'm about to sow Kelvedon Wonder in root trainers, stick them in a plastic greenhouse thingy I got recently, and leave them there over the winter, then plant them out in the ground ... erm, I don't know when actually!

I've got some question though, and I'd be so grateful if anyone has any answers:

If I sow the peas in root trainers now, should I keep them in the house on a windowsill to germinate, or just put them directly outside in the wee growhouse I've got?

If they germinate successfully and actually start GROWING, would I need to pot them on from the root trainers into bigger plantpots or put them directly in the ground? How long can I expect them to be happy in the root trainers for?

When should they be put into the ground, and what size should they be?

Would they need fleece, or cloches, when they're put into the ground? To keep them protected from mice/birds etc?

Please forgive my ignorance ... I've done a fair bit of googling on this, and looked at some books I've got, but I still can't find the answers. I know some folks think it's not worth over-wintering peas, but I really want to give it my best shot!

Thank you,
C

[bazzaboy]

Croila, interesting questions and your plan is OK but I suspect all the answers will depend on variables so difficult to make exact predictions as will depend upon Autumn and Winter conditions, temperatures, amount of direct sun etc...

Keledon seems to be most recommended as an early Spring pea whereas some pundits recommend Feltham First for over-wintering... But what the heck, worth a try. You can decide later whether it's worth the extra hassle to hopefully gain a few days over Spring sowings but for me root trainers (the deeper ones) win every time over alternatives such as guttering which I have tried but not found that easy or productive. You don't want them to grow to the point where you have to put them out early because they'll suffer (they can stand some frosts but wind is another problem). Root trainers used properly (i.e. in later stages raised up to prompt even more roots etc) should slowly produce extensive roots, the top growth I'd suggest doesn't want to exceed 6-8 inches (sorry, c. 15-20 cms) or it will start to tangle badly (particularly peas that like to grab onto anything and everything!) Fleece/cloche protection when once planted out will really depend quite when you have to put them out and prevailing conditions at that time: they will benefit from support and of course canes, fleece and cloches are not a particularly happy combination so another reason not to prompt too much top growth too early.

Finally you mention mice damage, in my experience rather than at the seedling stage that's most prevalent at the seed stage (i..e. pre-germination) when mice are extraordinarily adept at digging them up, even out of root-trainers - so take precautions at that stage if mice are in evidence! Birds, particularly pigeons it seems, like pea shoots as their Winter Salad so some netting (or gun and Pigeon Pie recipe) probably a good idea to ensure the security of your hard-earned peas!

Do let everyone know which bits of your plan work best and any problems encountered... and good luck with the venture.

[Flobalob]

That was a vey contructive informatant reply bazzaboy.
However i feel all this may be all in vain when the peas are covered in a foot of snow.

[bazzaboy]

That was a vey contructive informatant reply bazzaboy.
However i feel all this may be all in vain when the peas are covered in a foot of snow.

LOL... I agree... BUT they won't be out there then but tucked up in Croila's "plastic greenhouse thingy"

But I'm pleased if we're going to get a foot of snow, I quite like it, miss it, and it does for lots of insects which has my full approval as I get bitten by the darn critters. I LIKE Winter (and find the gardening hours are much more reasonable too!)

[Croila]

Bazzaboy, thank you ever so much for taking the time to write that reply! It's very good of you.

Well ... I've sown a few Kelvedon Wonder and a few Douce Provence peas (and also some sweet peas) in root trainers. I put the plastic cover over it to germinate them, and put them in my unheated conservatory so I guess we shall see what happens!

I have absolutely no idea how long they'll take to germinate or grow big enough that they'd need transplanted into their own little pots, but I'll just worry about that when the time comes. If it comes ..!

I don't fancy putting them in the ground till fairly late on so am hoping I can keep them in the greenhouse over winter, but we'll see.

That's interesting about the mice going for the seeds rather than the seedlings - definitely a good reason for starting them off in pots I reckon!

Thanks for your help Bazzaboy. I'll report on progress in due course

[Flummery]

I sowed peas in Feb this year - and on a couple of occasions they DID have a foot of snow on them. They were fine.

[Tangle]

Mice are attracted by a chemical that the seeds give off as they are germinating, so protect them until the shoots are well up, even then they sometimes dig for them. I cover the rootrainers with a piece of glass and keep them in the greenhouse. To harden them off I put them in a rough "tunnel" made out of Chicken wire, the mice don't try this as I suspect they dont like the snagging. I grow them in a poly tunnel starting seeds about now and get a really early crop that is excellent, Broad Beans as well. Even last year when we had overnight temps of -10C in the tunnel they recovered. Before I had the polytunnel I raised Broad Beans in 7" pots - 3 bean seeds to each and gradually moved them from greenhouse to cold frame to cloche depending on weather, getting them outside by march. We have very wet winters here (they don't call it the Lake District for nothing!) and I never managed them outside they always got knocked over by rain and slugged. Tangle

[Croila]

Tangle, thank you for that. That's good to know the peas survived minus 10 ... I'm hoping to keep them in pots in the greenhouse over the winter then plant them out as late as I can. And just put fleece over them when necessary, I guess. I certainly don't want to put them in the ground till I absolutely have to, but I have a feeling this whole venture will really be a "suck it and see" thing!

[Two_Sheds]

Mice are attracted by a chemical that the seeds give off as they are germinating

That's interesting: most people report that mice will eat unsprouted pea seeds, but leave the chitted ones alone