[debih]

I have never yet been successful with peas.  I have no idea why.  Last year they just didn't grow at all and the year before (the first year of growing) we only had half a dozen pods or so.

I have always sown the seeds straight into the ground.   Now we have our polytunnel do you think I might have more success starting them off in there and then transplanting them or should I just not bother and buy frozen?  The only problem with that is that I really like the pea shoots and they are so expensive to buy.

[joyfull]

where's DD when theres a pea question that needs answering? 

[mumofstig]

I can only tell you what happened to my first sowing last year..........I sowed a 12ft row and left them to get on with it and 3 peas grew
I later found out that as soon as I went home the birds ate them all so I had to resow, but this time I covered them with some fleece to stop the birds and these all grew.
Perhaps that is what happened to yours, or else mice can dig them up and eat them
In your first year, when you only got a few pods, how many plants did you actually grow, cos peas are not huge producers like runner beans  You need to grow alot of plants for a good yield.

here is a very helpful thread on peas
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=50902.msg602794#msg602794

[potatogrower]

i always sow the pea seeds in tray in the green house, never directed sowed. wait for them to create a root and grows at least a 1cm or 2cm shoot then plant them outside, so far i had never any issues, other than too much heat and water may rot the peas. carefully pull them out, plant them and gently compress soil. ensure patch is well manured.

[rowlandwells]

 having set my first crop of peas in pots this season  in the greenhouse i transplanted them in the lottie Monday they are well established i set 3 rows about 80 pots i used sticks up the rows as they where handy because the lads had been cutting the trees in the churchyard next to the lottie although the ground was well manured in the winter with horse dung i think i'me going to give them a feed of wood ash the variety set was early onward but my wife has been asking me to try a wrinkle variety she thinks they may be more tender and sweeter is this the case 

[mumofstig]

80 pots at recommended spacing gives you about a 7ft run of peas 
and each plant will produce about 7 pods, so about 50 peas

[peapod]

If you want a lot of peas then you have to make the space for them.  Simple as that.  I love my peas, and to me they are a luxury but also an essential crop. I don't have a large lotty but I plant 80ft per year minimum to gain about 4x carrier bags full of peas.

If you find you need prefer/other crops more then frozen peas will be the way to go.

Peas need a good organic base, with nutrient rich soil to go into.  No further feeding is required if you do this.  They need staking despite what the packets say...they may be planted in blocks, but they will still need support.

When seeds are first sown they are susceptible to mice, which is why I sow thickly, more dependant on how early I sow. Pea plants need netting from the birdies in most cases.

The amount of peas I grow doesn't allow time to pot individually, but you could try guttering - slightly more protection but allows for gaps and resowing with less time spent.

[kermit]

I only sow a small amount for the kids to munch on in the garden (and me if Im lucky!).  Last 2 years I have put a load on wet paper towel, in a food bag, and in the airing cupboard.  After 1-2 days they are usually sprouting and I then just scatter them in my drill.  Never had any probs with mice / birds (and we do have mice and birds!).  Do the same for sweet peas and beans.  Other benefit is that you dont have to harden off, and you can avoid gaps.

[ferreter51]

I have never yet been successful with peas.  I have no idea why.  Last year they just didn't grow at all and the year before (the first year of growing) we only had half a dozen pods or so.

I have always sown the seeds straight into the ground.   Now we have our polytunnel do you think I might have more success starting them off in there and then transplanting them or should I just not bother and buy frozen?  The only problem with that is that I really like the pea shoots and they are so expensive to buy.

Frozen are not a patch on home-grown.  I sow mine indoors, not even in the greenhouse as mice can enter and eat everything.  I harden them off and plant out, taking care to put plastic mesh along each side of the row and tying the mesh together at the top.  The ties can be removed as the plants climb to allow you to get at the peas.  I planted two 10 ft rows out yesterday and they are starting to grip the mesh already. 

If this is a new plot, it might be an idea to dig a trench, fill it with compost, firm it and plant seedlings into that.  I did this after getting a tip from an experienced gardener the first three years I grew peas and had excellent results.  I'm doing the same this year as it is only my second year on this plot and the soil, while improving, is not yet as good as I would like it to be.

Good luck with them.

[katiekate]

I LOVE growing peas! last year I didn't allow nearly enough space!
This year I sowed directly into the ground really thickly- this allows for some to be taken by birds, slugs, mice (I've never needed to net strangely) but also I love eating the shoots when they need thinning! Makes a great salad!

You could also try planting them in guttering.. fill with compost, sow, and transplant entire length into the row. Means you can keep it off the ground, and netted if pests are a prob!

Good luck!

[simonwatson]

I planted mine in paper pots in the greenhouse about 4 weeks ago. Once they reached 6 inches or so I planted them out in a bed that had some manure dug in. The next lot are going into pots this weekend.

[shokkyy]

I'm sowing peas direct into the beds for the first time this year (sugar snap, mangetout and Alderman), and I sowed the first batches on 3rd April. According to Hessayon, they should germinate in 7 to 10 days so by now they should be up, but they're not. I was starting to wonder if I had bird or mouse problems, so I had a gentle dig around and found some seeds that had just started to put up a sprout, but not yet big enough to break the surface.

Given that for a lot of the time since 3rd April we've had some pretty warm weather for the time of year, I'm surprised that they're taking so long. Is this normal and Hessayon's just being a bit optimistic, or is this slow/poor germination, do you think? I've started off second batches of each in modules in my cold greenhouse, because I've started to get a bit nervous about the germination rates outside.

[mumofstig]

The ones in the garden made an appearance a few days after I gave them a good watering
Is your soil as dry as mine, I wonder  that could be the answer 

[shokkyy]

I did start watering them when the weather was so hot and dry, but didn't like to give them too much because I was worried about making them rot if they got too wet.

[Kajazy]

If you like the pea shoots, why not grow those in pots undercover - because you're not growing them into full plants (if you're harvesting just the pea shoots), then you can space them really closely - they don't take long to emerge, so keep on sowing time after time. You could view your shoots crop as totally separate from your pea crop.