[DIGGER]

Whilst in total admiration of DDs pea crops, I can not match his expertise and putting direct into the ground just gives the local mice  a big feed day.

So on the 6th / March I filled 100+ toilet roll inners with compost and popped in a pea seed,today i planted out what is potentially a fine section of peas.[22 days]

Now i thought i would get some more going but a lack of toilet roll inners and a big lack of patience led me give thought to easier methods.

So a trial is now in progress
15   in toilet roll inners
140 in gutters
24   in seed trays  [ just read Titchmarsh does it]  I thought no room for roots.
40   seed tray inserts  [ ice method]

I feel very important undertaking such a trial, i can feel an apperance on gardeners world coming on

I am using  Hurst green shaft.

Any other ideas ,straight in the ground is a no go

[peapod]

Richys paper pots, cheap and easy! Im starting off my precious Stokesley peas in those.
Micies got my early ones too  and am flirting with the idea of buying guttering,,,I have one PILE of peas to start off though

See you on GW!

[DIGGER]

Richys paper pots, cheap and easy! Im starting off my precious Stokesley peas in those.
Micies got my early ones too  and am flirting with the idea of buying guttering,,,I have one PILE of peas to start off though

See you on GW!

Thought of that,but no patience to make them.
Cant help it,its the way i am

[Ice]

Put my peas in today.  I used seed tray inserts which gives space for 40 per tray.  I know they cost money, but I will be careful with them and hope to get many years worth out of them.  They had developed good root systems and now I hope that mice will not be dragging them out.

Good luck with the trial.

[DIGGER]

Put my peas in today.  I used seed tray inserts which gives space for 40 per tray.  I know they cost money, but I will be careful with them and hope to get many years worth out of them.  They had developed good root systems and now I hope that mice will not be dragging them out.

Good luck with the trial.

Got some of them,but i thought to small,but i will give it a go.
Doing it Now
Cheers 

[PAH48]

As mentioned by Peapod... paperpots....knocked up 100 today,
Only I wrapped 'em around a kitchen roll/paper tube....
slightly slimmer version, but less compost and could fit a lot more per tray...
(I'd run outta bog rolls !!!! )

[farmersue]

I used the paper pot method last year (they are a brilliant idea by the way - we used them for LOADS of things), which worked fairly well, but i don't have the patience this year for some reason. So i've sown my peas direct and covered them with fleece in the hope that will keep the birds and mice off. Is this likely to work, or will the peas get too warm?  

[mumofstig]

That's how i did mine and they started to show through on sunday

[peapod]

They wont get too warm yet FarmerSue, but mice still got mine even under the fleece 

[DD.]

Sorry, I can't advise on any other way. When you grow over 200 feet of peas (that's 1000's), you HAVE to direct sow. One of my not so secrect secrets is that I buy seed loose and it's therefore a fraction of the cost of packet stuff. I sow really thickly and enough make it to give the results you've seen. I do net initially as well and as tightly as possible.

The only other time I've used another method was when I originally got my heritage seed, I sowed them singly in pots, but there was only about 30 of each variety.

[farmersue]

Hmm. I wonder if a toy cat, strategically positioned, would help?  

[nobby]

I always use mushroon trays from the supermarket
line them with newspaper and fill with compost plant the seeds in neet rows and they plantout dead easy  

[Salmo]

My early peas go under polythene sheet hoop cloches with two or three mouse traps underneath.

Chocolate bar, a potato chip or peanut butter is best bait.

Usually catch on a dark night, seldom when the moon is bright. Therefore sow on a waning moon. Something to do with predators not being able to see them.

If the weather is warm the mice alter their behaviour from feeding to breeding in April and you should have no more damage. This is a well known fact.

I know these usefull facts from a freind who did his PHd on mice damage.

[DIGGER]

I feel a bit sorry for the mice,feeding or breeding,not sure which i would choose i like both.

[peapod]

Thanks Salmo, on your head be my peas