Kitchen Garden Forum

Over the years I've heard all sorts of comments about peas and in particular the germination rates of the seeds, so I thought I'd do some trials. Last year I bought a pack of "Onward" and of those that grew, a good crop was had, however not all the seeds germinated, now I have heard all sorts of ideas onto why this should happen. Top of the list is "mice eat them", plausible, but I have never seen any evidence of excavations, "slugs and snails" also feature on the list and are more likely I'd have thought.
Solutions are also at hand, a favourite is to use guttering and then slide them out into rows, not too sure about that, for a start I'd need to buy some. My solution is way more radical...................................................I treat them the same as every other seed I start early for a crop sooner than the main crop, I sow them in modules in the propagator, four seeds to a cell and then plant the cells in their little root ball at the bottom of a cane. Just put some in the border in the greenhouse for an earlier crop, for those counting, 100 per cent germination. I actually think when sowing them early, some just fail.

I personally think old seed and a touch of over enthusiasm with the watering-can, can have a lot to do with it too….especially if the compost/soil is cold!

I've also found poor germination rates. I never sow outdoors, always in rootrainers in the greenhouse, two seeds per module. I agree watering control can be an issue but I don't think it is the whole story. I can't find the legal percentage germination rate.
Sally Wright is another of our sadly absent forum members (a professional gardener). If I remember correctly she used to say commercial pea and bean seeds were over dried and recommended leaving the packet open in a normal room for a while before sowing to allow them to absorb a limited amount of moisture.
Last year I saved some Greenshaft seeds. I have used a few of them for peashoots and 20 out of 20 germinated. They were obviously fresh seed and probably not over dried so it may mean something.

Found the thread - newcomers will see why I miss her posts

viewtopic.php?t=13849&hilit=germination

As part of my ongoing experiment, I have just sown some more of the same packet of last years Onward in cells but in the blow away inside the un heated greenhouse. The final part will be when I sow some of these seeds in the ground outside and compare germination and crop rates of each sowing.

First time growing peas, sowed them in pots, only 2 seem not to coming up, so not bad.

Well an update shows very good germination for the second batch, but not 100 percent and I am confident no seed predation has taken place. Hope to plant them out next week and I will look for the missing seeds to see if I can tell what happened. Third phase will be direct sowing into the ground.

3½ sets of rootrainers of bought seed (admittedly last year's packet) and 4½ sets of self saved seeds.

I take it the bought ones are on the left, Geoff!

I have planted the first lot of peas that I sowed in cells in the greenhouse, not in a heated propagator, I would estimate around 80 percent germination, the next step will be to sow seeds direct into the ground and see how they do, they will be under chicken wire which will exclude the birds from the seed predation but maybe not mice or slugs/snails. The ones that began life in the house and went into the greenhouse are growing really well, I expect flowers soon.

Flowers are now out on the first sown peas inside the greenhouse

Mine too, Burnie, just wish I had sown half a dozen containers of them….

I came to the decision that I shall not sow peas direct in the ground, the success rate is very poor compared to starting them under glass first, germination results alone make it worthwhile sowing inside.

I will always sow the early ones on the staging inside, but as things clear I do other sows outside. Normally fine as pests have other things to steal so have some left for me, but this year there is either more pests or lazy pests returning for 2nd's. While cleaning the shed I found a bottle of peppermint so did the old fashioned smell deterrent & it is working. The peas & broad beans are up - just the birds to worry about but easier to deal with them than rats & mice!

I don't seem to have a pest problem stealing seeds, they just don't germinate in my trials.