[Salmo]

Digger - Are you a man or a mouse?

[DIGGER]

Yeah i know

http://images.google.co.uk/images?sourceid=navclient&hl=en-GB&rlz=1T4DKUK_en-GBGB246GB248&q=mickey+mouse&um=1&ie=UTF-8&ei=fnTSSbnKGceTjAfv9MjmBg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&resnum=4&ct=title

[rink123]

some of my peas are 3ins now, and i put more in today that i had in  half of gutter,in the G house ,bit of a job getting them out tho .

[sharky]

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.

What do you do with them all of them peas? Sorry I'm nosy. 

[DD.]

The few that make it back home, I freeze down. Ran out last month!

[horsepooisgood]

some of my peas are 3ins now, and i put more in today that i had in  half of gutter,in the G house ,bit of a job getting them out tho .

If you allow the compo to become fairly dry they slide out easy, then you can flood them in the ground

[Swing Swang]

Early sowings of peas and broad beans both eaten last year. Later sowings in biodegradable pots (various) all OK. Life too short to repeat.

This year both peas and beans pre-chitted in a jam jar as I'd read elsewhere on this site and in books that rodents not interested in sprouted peas/beans.

First sowings now six inches high. No losses, and only slightly more difficult to sow than dry seed.

Second sowing of peas and beans in ground one week and no 'tell tale holes' (and I've got a bit of a rodent problem at the moment so I know they are about).

The pots will work, but it requires more time than I've got.

Regards,

SS

[DIGGER]

Rodents not interested in chitted peas and beans,i missed that one,is that right.

[Swing Swang]

Apparently yes. No problems so far.

SS

[HLS]

That sounds like a really handy tip.  What do you do to sprout them in the jar?

[Swing Swang]

Soak them in water over night, drain, and change the water twice a day to stop them rotting. Keep top of jar loosely covered to stop them from drying out. Keep in warm dark place. Usually sprout in 3 to 5 days. Don't let the sprouts get too big or else you'll damage them.

Someone else on this site keeps them in a plastic bag with damp peat.

SS

[MoreWhisky]

I dont seem to have this mice problem being talked about as all mine are ok, i did net tho.

About 25 went straight into the soil and about the same went in paper pots.

They are all now in the ground, the straight into the soil ones look much healthier and happier.

[DIGGER]

The first to show are the ones in the  40 modules.
To be expected i suppose as they wont have been sown as deep,but what will happen to the roots as they will not have so far to furrow.
Perhaps get them out earlier

[David.]

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.

Rather than sow pea seeds direct in claggy clay soil, and have them eaten by mice, I use 24x cell tray inserts with a few peas in each cell germinated in the greenhouse then moved to coldframes before being planted out.

I still use my cell tray inserts when they are falling to pieces, as it make it easier to remove plants.

[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

The seed in the 40 module insert [ICE METHOD] and the seed tray have produced 100% germination the toiler roll inners 80% and the gutter only a few have emerged.

The succesfull seeds are now about an inch high and i am thinking that they should go in the ground asap as the root system will be limited. Thats 13 days after sowing.

I think i better get some more going quick