Peas not doing too well but......

[greenishfing]

I pre-chitted my peas and planted them out a few weeks ago. When they started to come up I had a root around the allotment for something to support them and decided to use some sticks I'd pruned off the apple trees. I rammed them in.

Unfortunately quite a few of the peas didn't come up but a couple of the bare sticks which had been laid on the ground for weeks have got apple blossom sprouting.

I'm sure that if I'd tried to take hardwood cuttings I'd have mollycoddled them and they would have died on me.

Isn't nature contrary

[Ja9]

Yes it is,but that's why I didn't use twigs from my willow tree! Did mice /slugs get them?

[Marb67]

I have had a terrible job of getting hurst and kelverdon to sprout, let alone grow without rotting in the pot. I have even sprouted some in a sprouter jar. Planted them in soil only to give small pathetic shoots that have hardly grown in size in weeks ! You plant them in pots and water. They rot. You. Don't water and they just don't grow. I have had these peas for around 3- 5 years but surely they last longer than that. I have heard of peas sprouting from very old packets just fine.

I used to find growing them so easy but of late its almost impossible. Oh, and slugs get them when they are growing fine

[jacob]

I've had a shocker with the peas this year. Terrible germination, then those that come up have been nibbled by slugs (and I suspect birds too) and are growing sooooo slowly.

[Potstubsdustbins]

hate to do this to you but I shall (well SWMBO will) being eating my first Kelverdon Wonder next week.

Try 2Sheds method sprout them in a container before planting, I had all sorts of trouble until I followed her advice.

[mothhawk]

my peas spouted fine (in pots), planted them out, no problems. Then today, I chased off a bunch of sparrows hanging on the pea sticks and scoffing all the leaves off the peas, which are about two feet high now. In places nothing but bare stems left.

[Bal]

hate to do this to you but i shall (well swmbo will) being eating my first kelverdon wonder next week.

...............??swmbo

[noviceveggrower]

My peas are awful this year. Last year was ok nothing to write home about though.
I started mine off in pots then planted them out when big enough. I have several types and in different areas.
The ones at home at plodding along. Then the ones at the allotment in two different places look as if they are dying. Then I sowed some directly haven't even popped their heads up. I checked for signs of mice but nothing.
So peas have been rubbish but my runner beans and broad beans haven't been anything to write home about either.

[Nicos]

...............??swmbo

'she who must be obeyed'
...clearly a joke!

[Penellype]

I've had very mixed results from peas this year. I bought a new pack of Early Onward (unwins) and planted 60 peas in pots in the propagator in February, resulting in about 10 plants, which are now just producing pods. I planted some more, thinking that the first lot were just too early, and they were even worse - I ended up eating htem as pea shoots as there were not enough to plant out. I planted some direct in the ground, and got zero germination, while the Meteor planted in a continuation of the same row were absolutely fine. I then decidd to try the chitting in a container method with the rest of the pack (about 100 peas). I got 12 germinated, of which 4 survived, the remainder rotting in the pots.

Treated exactly the same, Meteor, Onward, Hurst Greenshaft and Shiraz (Mangetout) have been fine. Possibly this was just a dodgy packet, but given the number of people with problems, I do wonder if maybe last year's extremely hot temperatures may have somehow damaged some of the seed?

[Veggielot]

I sowed mine in toilet roll tubes as normal, they came up as fine and planted them out. They then seemed to go backwards and the leaves went what could only be described as frilly. They are have now stared to grow and are starting to look more normal.

[Nannysally99]

I am just about ready to plant out another 24 pea plants grown in plastic cups. Have just started picking the first lot , beginners luck I have no doubt

[Potstubsdustbins]

'she who must be obeyed'
...clearly a joke!

You think I joke..........................

[Bal]

You think I joke..........................

Glad to see you take traditional values seriously!

[Shadylane]

They then seemed to go backwards and the leaves went what could only be described as frilly.

Sounds like pea/bean weevil. They always have a go at our peas and broad beans leaving the leaves with a scalloped look. They always seem to recover though. I chit peas in a plastic tub after soaking. It's important to rinse every day though as they will rot. I then plant them in guttering until big enogh to plant out and the roots have formed a mat. They then just slide out into postion if you wet them thoroughly. This way I get excellent germination, no mice scoffing them and they're big enough to fight off a weevil attack.

Annoyingly this year though the rabbits mowed some of them down, so I've had to guard them with a bit of chicken wire. They're even coming back from that though. I did notice a pod on one the other day, but we're a while away from our first pea yet.