Starting Peas Indoors

[chris]

Reet - I'm pretty much ready to plant my first lot out (bunged 'em in modules as I'd not cleared the ground at the plot yet). I've 81 that have germinated, from 3 module trays.

My beds are 4' wide by ~10' long. How much space do you leave between your double/triple rows? Packet says to leave around 60cm between them, so if my row was ~15cm/6" wide, then that leaves roughly 90cm left, so ~45cm/17" space between two possible rows in the bed.

Do you put any protection over/on the peas to stop birds pecking the shoots by the way?

I have debris netting and fleece available.

My variety is hurst greenshaft, which I guess grew to around 60cm high last year.. I used pea netting, which was a right pain in the backside to sort out aftwards.. I think I ended up breaking most of it trying to untangle them.

[chris]

Actually, I'll do what I did in my garden, I've still all that netting left over, and the conduit:



Peas are self-pollinating aren't they? I guess I could remove it when they come into flower mind.

[Two_Sheds]

I guess I could remove it when they come into flower

It's ONLY when they're in flower that they need to be netted Chris: the pea moth lays her eggs in the flower

[chris]

Ahh, I didn't realise that, thank you.. I assumed from the few maggots I had in some peas last year, they injected the egg through then pod wall..

I'm planning on netting the, tomorrow to protect them from the birds, I noticed a crow kept coming up behind me until I scared it off.. Not sure if they eat vegetation but didn't want to risk it, so have covered them with fleece for tonight.

Do you experienced allotment folk only net when in flower? I pretty much avoided it last year, it was only my later sowings that got a few maggots in...

[chris]

Also, I have planted that one 6" wide row today... That leaves pretty much 3.5' left, if I stick another row in the bed, I'll be left with 3' odd of wasted space.. The guideline of 60cm between each row, are those directed at growers who plant in conventional rows?

I think I'd like to stick at least two more rows in my bed, otherwise it just seems such a waste of space. Would the roots have enough space with 3 6" rows contained in. 4' wide bed?

Thanks