Is it worth soaking or chitting peas?

[MarkPelican]

For whatever reason, I seem to have difficulty getting peas to germinate. I usually sow them in pots but only 10% seem to come up. Is it worthwhile soaking or chitting them? What do successful people do?

I meant Chitting but it looks like my spelling corrector got the better of me

[Thelma Sanders]

I sow them, give them a good watering, and then no more watering til they're through.

Works for me

[MarkPelican]

I've got heavy clay at the allotment and nothing I sow direct does well.

[veggiechicken]

I chat to mine all the time
I don't grow many and don't sow direct in case they're eaten. I've been experimenting with chatting on cotton wool and kitchen roll. Cotton wool worked well, kitchen roll started yesterday so I don't know yet.

[Thelma Sanders]

I've got heavy clay at the allotment and nothing I sow direct does well.

I sow them, give them a good watering, and then no more watering til they're through.

Sorry, I wasn't clear - that's how I sow in rows in deep seed trays. (Plastic dividers separate the rows)

I do also sow some direct on the plot if we get a warm early spring, like this year

[Baldy]

I've not had trouble getting peas to germinate, its the step between germination and too tough for slugs that usually befuddles me - but I did spill a load into a gravel try half full of water yesterday _ I'll see how they go. The may need speaking too...

[Bren In Pots]

I chit mine then once they've sprouted they get sown into guttering, then eventually tipped sideways in to a pre-dug channels. This way works out good for me.

[Snoop Puss]

I have to admit that I don't do very well with peas except, for some reason, Douce Provence. I sow them direct because I can't be doing with the trouble of sowing them in modules and then planting them out. So, I make a little hole in the soil, water the hole, drop a couple of peas in, cover them with potting compost to make it a bit easier for them to bust through our terracotta clay, and then water again a few days later if I think they need it.

I sowed this year's on 27 March and they're now starting to pop up, so I've given them an extra drink by way of thanks.

[Potstubsdustbins]

After having all my direct sown peas eaten by mice I use the method suggested to me by Two Sheds.

Using an old plastic take-away food contain I soak them for 24 hours, then drain and rinse them, then rinse and drain everyday until they germinate.

One thing I did notice this year. When I first started I used some 3 year old seed, germination was slow and erratic about 75%. Later when I used new seed germination was much quicker and 100%.

[flynch]

Make sure you haven't got any slugs eating seedlings before you see them. I thought I had a bad germination only to find slugs under my seedling trays

[TheSpartacat]

I get the best germination when I chit them so definitely think its worth doing... not sure if its mice or cold soil that prevents the ones i sow direct outdoors from popping up.

[SaraJH]

This is only my second year so I'm by no means an expert but last year I just sowed mine in pots in the greenhouse and they all germinated. This was mange tout and sugar snaps though as opposed to proper peas!

[MarkPelican]

I have always sowed my peas in pots (real peas and Mangetout). This year I sowed 35 pots of Mangetout with 4 seeds to a pot as normal and I have two germinated. I've set, them to soak and see if I get better success.

[Mark_Riga]

I've used seed I've saved myself for last about 10 years (best looking pods off best plants). Never really had any problem with germination - about 80 to 100 seeds to a seed tray, no soaking or chitting. Only had a problem one year when I was a bit slow to plant out after germination. Poor compost I blamed it on as it looked dry on top often so I watered well but was sodden where the seed was and a fair percent of root had started to rot. Got 4 trays now (about 350 seeds) just popping through - will make a 30 foot x 6 inch row. Sounds like your seeds are poor quality (or compost is).
The only problem with saving seeds is being able to ripen them before the mice eat them.