peas

greentree · peas

OK - I'm going to plant some peas at the weekend.

I heard that some people soak theirs in water overnight to get them going. Has anyone here done that and has it made a difference?

BTW - My hens love fresh peas!!

Mike

Camile

Hello,

would you plant them in the ground directly ? or do seedlings under cover first ?

peas are supposed to be a good source of protein for them ..

I made yesterday a chicken veggie patch in their run, covered with chicken mesh so they can't scratch at it .. but can peck at whatever is growing !

so peas are on the list for it ..

Camile

greentree

I have grown peas for 4 years now. Very easy to grow. Make a trench about a spade size wide and only an inch or two deep. Place the peas in a 'w' shape along the length of the trench, cover, pack the soil down and water. In about 4 weeks when they are a few inches tall put some stakes in and run some netting/mesh the length of the drill. They will attach to that and then grow like mad!

Harvesting is the trick. Too early and they will be too small, too late and they will be very starchy (and not sweet). They will all not ripen at the same time so you need to pick a few every day....

Also, dry a few of your peas on a tray and store them for next year!!

Mike

Camile

Thanks for that !

that sounds like another job on my list for this weekend !

and I believe their require full sun do they ? or can they tolerate some shade ?

wayoutwest

they really need the sun. if you have a problem with wind, sow them quite close together. The outside ones are sacrificed but the inside ones will survive. it works here so it will work anywhere. Laughing

mice are a big problem, eating the peas before they germinate and when the shoots are small. this is one of the reasons lots of people plant them in gutters or pots first.

they need food in their soil, lots of manure, or chicken pellets, and compost. I tend to put the fencing up first, but only so that I don't squish the plants - and because then I can forget about them for a month...

greentree

Mine are in shade for about half the day and seem to do OK. Never had a problem with mice, but you never know....!

gai

I've never bothered soaking them first as they germinate really easily. I always sow mine in pots or guttering first and get them off to a good start before planting out. Mine are in shade for about half the day.