Kitchen Garden Forum

I have been given a package of garden peas The sowing calendars' advice is to sow right now, this month. But do you sow them directly outdoors when the night temperatures are still around 2°C / 36°F ?

Dates on packets are only the broadest of guidelines and can be quite mis-leading, Elmigo. far better to wait until soil and weather conditions are right. Of course, you can sow an early batch under cover, either in pots, or as some people do, in lengths of gutter, (something that I have never tried)...I will be sowing some in pots over the next few days.

I figured out about the instructions on the seed package. I will be sowing with you then! Starting in pots under the newly built greenhouse and moving them with the greenhouse when it's being placed on its foundation. Thanks!

I sow 3 Peas to a 3 inch pot, Elmigo and after the initial watering, keep them on the dryish side until they are making good growth.

Since it is raining heavily agan this morning, I have been in the greenhouse and sown 54 pots of Twinkle Peas...i'm expecting good things...

Just been sowing mine in pots too. I have put them in a chilly and bright room and now awaiting the green dots showing up on the surface. They have to stay there untill the greenhouse is all set.

You will get there, Elmigo...you must be so excited about having a garden and a greenhouse, to be groing in!

Elmigo. Once you,ve got your greenhouse in situ (and judging by the rain pouring down here, it probably won,t be this weekend) think about outing some mouse bait down in it. They can squeeze into the tiniest crack and play havoc with your newly planted seedlings.

If you want to grow pea shoots for salads, instead of peas as a vegetable, buy and sow dried soup peas in a packet from the supermarket. They are a fraction of the price. I use them a lot for salads and garnishes. you can sow them tightly, touching each other in tray which only need about an inch of compost. Just keep the compost moist.

Very excited!! Thanks for the advice Primrose. The greenhouse and foundation don't have any openings except for the door and roof window. But I have heard about gardening friends who had mice digging tunnels under the foundation to get in there! May need some heavy protection for this...

I haven't sown any garden peas yet but I have sown two sets of rootrainers with mangetout, Delikett and Nairobi, for planting in the polytunnel. Sown last Sunday and starting to show today, with about 100 of the 300 sweet peas I sowed at the same time.

Never underestimate a mouse! Tiny & dead cute but deffo stayed on this planet as clever! I'll acknowledge rats aren't stupid but no way as cute, but between them they have taken lots of my broad bean & pea sowings (not latest though which I bought from the lottie shed as established) & I even pushed the wee roots of the ones the mice thought were tasty snack in as they stayed green for a bit so thought might have been some unseen micro roots & pleased to say they look sturdier & thicker & i will move them outside if the rain ever stops! Pea count is 1 up & probably 60 sown over time! I'm disappointed but critters are suffering as well! Hey Ho - won't be long until they find their real food & loads of time for me to re-sow!

Pea count for me still zero but it probably won't be long!

First task for me every morning at this time of year - checking how many of my seedlings have germinated and popped through during the night. Unlike Alan, we can,t see eggs hatching so have to count on peas, beans and other smaller seeds !

I planted 104 this morning I’ve covered the tray in two polythene bags to try and keep the mice out

The first 5 peas start to show their heads two days after sowing. Those were dried supermarket packed peas. The others are still waiting.