Mice eating my peas?

[VegiDales]

I sowed my peas a week ago and went to check if they were growing today and found that there loads of very small hoes dug in the bed and 90% of the peas are gone!
Was it mice?
What do I do to stop the little sods doing it again?

[Potstubsdustbins]

Yep sounds like mice to me.

I used to have the problem but following 2Sheds advice started to chit mine before planting and it seems to have done the trick for the last two years.

Potty

[sauzee]

One of our plotholders at the allotments soak them in paraffin before planting them it is supposed to stop the mice eating them

[rustylady]

Chit them indoors before planting them.

[Two_Sheds]

following 2Sheds advice started to chit mine before planting and it seems to have done the trick

I still chit mine, but lost a lot last year to pea weevils (who eat the leaves & roots). This year I'm starting them all in modules or 3" pots before planting out under mesh (to keep the sparrows off the leaves)

There're a lot of critters that like to eat peas

[eirish]

I'm experimenting with starting them off in guttering, in the cold frame. Last year I didn't have problems with nibblers, but they were very very slow to germinate and get growing when sown direct. I shudder to think what this year would be like... (that would be my face blue with cold!)

[Bren In Pots]

I'm growing mine for the first time in guttering they were pre-chitted so they only took a couple of days to show above the compost.

[snakeshack]

I tend to use guttering for my short peas (kelvedon wonder) and plant them out relatively quickly,but start off my tall peas (collosal climbing) in deep rootrainers or bog rolls.If you want to sow direct then a layer of holly leaves over the row has been suggested,but I wouldn't fancy hand weeding afterwards

[SarzWix]

Just in case you're confused by the term 'chitted' or 'pre-chitted', it means starting the seeds off on damp kitchen towel, and planting them once you can see a root. Lots of people also do that with parsnip seeds and sweetcorn seeds too

[roitelet]

Gorse clippings in the drill before you cover the peas. Mice don't like their noses pricked!

[Snadger]

How about a cat?

They are clever little gits aint they! I have a load of flower seeds sown in pots on the greenhouse bench. One of these was sunflowers...................I say WAS, cos Micky or Minnie have unearthed and eaten them. Never even touched the other pots. How did they know when the seeds were under the compost?

I hates them meeces to pieces!!!!!!!!

[VegiDales]

Thanks Everyone!

I will chit a new batch this weekend and try again. I went back for another look yesterday and there is a single seedling growing out of about 200!

[Keira]

I sowed my peas a week ago and went to check if they were growing today and found that there loads of very small hoes dug in the bed and 90% of the peas are gone!
Was it mice?
What do I do to stop the little sods doing it again?

Yup the job done looks like mice did. You can grow again but with special care. Use mouse traps round it and spread some mouse killer pills round your peas. They will try to eat those first. and then all gone.

[VegiDales]

UPDATE: -

So I chitted my peas and replanted them on Saturday. By Sunday the "mice" had been back and dug them all up and eaten them - all that is left are lots of little white roots that they obviously don't like.

Would fencing the bed off with a v fine chicken mesh fence help at all?
I really do not want to use poison if I can help it.

[VegiDales]

So I spoke to the old owner of the house today and they said the mice used to be a nightmare and they used traps and would catch up to 20 at a time!!!!!!