Pea'd Off

[Pa Snip]

I've mentioned before about the problems experienced this year with germination. Beans and Peas in particular have been a nightmare.
Don't know why for sure, have done nothing different to previous years and have never had such problems before. I can only think that maybe this year I have been too heavy handed on the watering.

On the pea front we've tried various seed companies without success until that it Mrs Snip, in ever helpful mode, came home from a shopping trip with not one but TWO packets of Wilkinsons own brand Early Onward peas.

Well what can I say, there I was dubious about these cheap own brand seeds and what happens ......................

...............................
germination success in high volume !!!! 5 metres of peas,

One Cheshire cat looking Mrs S

Up they grew in the usual guttering I sow peas in each year and they were duly planted out on the plot on Wednesday of this week.

Yesterday (Friday 12/6/15) I went up the plot to water and what did I find

Decimation !!!! The Early Onward peas had been attacked by birds,
tops taken out of the lot and many pulled up!!!!

In previous years I have always got away with not having to cover peas.

After all the effort it is fair to say ....................... I am PEA'd OFF

[Elaine]

Awwww Pa Snip! I feel for you, I really do.

We regularly use Wilko's own brand seeds for peas, runner beans and beetroot ...flowers too...and always have good germination rates. We get a lot of seed from DT Brown but never hesitate to use Wilkos.

Our first sowing of peas are always five seeds to a 4" pot, left in trays in the greenhouse to germinate and grow on, hardened off then planted out just as they are. Under net. The birds here also wipe out the crop.
The first lot this year, were damaged by frost/cold night temperature. The ones sown direct never amounted to anything at all. No signs of mice digging them up so we presume the soil was too cold and wet and they rotted. Soooooo.....back to sowing in pots and bringing them on in the greenhouse and planting out under net.
So far, so good.........

[Primrose]

My first row of sugar snap peas germinated well and yesterday I spotted the first flower.

I have sowed a second row TWICE and only have about five plants appear from that row for my trouble and expense . I've no idea what caused the failure

It,s jolly annoying because every time I sow a large tray of cheap dried soup peas to grow pea shoots to use in salads I get pretty much 100% germination. Perhaps i should sow a row of these at a fraction of the price of garden centre packeted peas and pick them at immature pea pod stage for eating as sugar snap or mangetout peas. It would cheaper be a lot cheaper !

[Elaine]

Primrose, give it a try! We grow "Batchelors" marrowfat peas and they're lovely. We chit them on wet kitchen paper, then sow them.

The first time my husband suggested it, I thought he was winding me up, ( as he does, cos I'm gullible and he can! ) when he asked me to get him a packet of mushy peas next time I went shopping. To cut a long story short, he sowed them and I made a rather fetching, if sarcastic, label for the row, stating Batchelors mushy.

I had to eat my words along with the peas when we harvested them!