I'll be soaking mine today and planting tomorrow:))

I guess I can plant some too! I got some peas in a SASBE.

I think I will WS mine since it can get really cold here in April sometimes.

Unless someone here has other advice for zone 5 and peas?

thanks!
Karen

karendee: I've been reading up on these and unsure about WSing as well. I know they love cold weather (not a hard freeze, though) and, some say, they'll actually start winding down and start to fade fast when temps are consistently 70 degrees or more.

The rub is that that sprout so darn fast. I would think if you WS, but get a few warm days, they'll be off and running ready to transplant. Then you're sort of stuck unless you plant and use protective cover on really cold days/nights.

I'm anxious to hear, too, how anybody manages to WS these.

Prof

Thanks Prof! I might WS them and leave the top open some and close it for the cold days.
Karen

My 7yo WS peas this weekend in un-taped jugs. I figure when they sprout we'll move them to the bed. I hope that works.

If I start them tomorrow, I'll be WSing - ground's too wet here to direct sow.

I WS mine last weekend. Last year, I wintersowed half, and direct sowed the other half. The WS ones had a quicker, and higher germination percentage. I'm thinking some of the ones in the ground may have gotten eaten by some kind of critter. Peas are a cool season crop. They can handle some cold temps, or even a little snow. If you're worried about them once you plant them out, you can always cover with a row cover when winter weather is forecasted.

Bonnie

I direct sowed some peas February 15th and they are coming up now. If I can keep the dang bunnies from chomping them I should have some in a month or so, yummy right off the vine!

I'm going to see how these do planted tomorrow with this pre-germination process and DSing. I'd really like to try WS them, but too late this year.

They ARE definitely varmint magnets, though. My "test" seedlings planted in early Fall had every squirrel from the neighborhood chomping on the new shoots! I wound up covering them. Once they got to 4-5 inches tall, the squirrels lost interest.

I'm planting Sugar Ann and Sugar Snap this year. Shelling peas is not my idea of a good time.

Prof

I've been doing peas on March 17th too and plan to do so tomorrow as well. They usually sprout within 2 weeks and cold nights into the upper 20's (which always happens here mid April) doesn't bother them a bit.
The first year I tried them I both direct sowed and wintersowed and didn't notice much difference.

Wasn't sure which type of seed or even if it mattters so I bought both snow and suagar snap. Anyone have a preference although I will sow both.

Oh I forgot to ask does anyone soak their seeds overnight and if so for how long. When researching this I found many that do and don,t and for various amounts of time. So I confused on this one.

Rich: I'm no expert, but try soaking for 12 hours. Start with warm water, let 'em soak, then drain and plant in the garden.

Prof

I put my peas in to soak last Friday night and didn't get them in soil until Sunday afternoon. That's too long to soak but life got in the way. I couldn't wait until tomorrow to peek. I dug a couple out of the soil and they have sprouted. I doubt they'll peek through the soil by tomorrow but at least I know I didn't kill them. Oregon Sugar Pod, Sugar Snap, and Alaska.

I haven't grown peas in more than 30 years. It's hit or miss in Oklahoma. One really warm spring day and you're out of the pea business. Kaput. But you can't win if you don't enter.

Oh, seedmama, you're so right. The thing with peas is 1) the the plants and potential harvest, and 2) the fun of the tradition of planting peas in spring.

In my neck of the woods it's: "Did you plant the peas? Did you plant the peas?" Half the damn peas don't do squat, but you wouldn't dare say you forgot the peas. It's like you forgot the butter with the summer corn.

I have wintersown my peas for several years now. When I was direct-sowing, I had a problem with the crows pulling the seeds out as soon as they germinated, but since I started planting them out after the plants are bigger, the birds don't bother them.

Barbe, thanks for the heads up. I had a murder of crows in my backyard last week. A hawk and two owls sent them scooting, but it's good to know I should be on the lookout once the sprouts are in the ground. 600 pea sprouts would be a terrible thing to lose.

I swear those birds would sit on the fence just waiting for a sprout to appear above ground! One year I only got 3 plants out of a 20 foot row. I have the same problem with corn so I springsow it just like wintersowing and transplant to the garden when it's about 2 inches high.

I have mine soaking tonight to plant tomorrow. I have great peas every year but I usually plant a little earlier than this. I was ready to plant and heard it was going to be cold last week so thought I would just wait since they probably wouldn't germinate at that temp and that would just give the birds and squirrels a better chance at getting them. Last year I grew them in paper cups inside and planted out when they got the first tendrils. I didn't notice my peas being any earlier, but I didn't lose as many to critters. They are kind of a pain though because if you don't plant them deep they will crawl right out of the soil as they germinate.

I am very late with all of my veggies this year, but that is probably OK. Some years I am putting out BIG tomato plants or else planting to early and having to cover them. That shouldn't be a problem this year since the first ones (inside) just sprouted today. I have two jugs of wintersown ones, but they have not sprouted.

Todays project was to buy a new lawn mower battery and get the grass mowed for the first time.

If you're going to WS snap peas, make sure you do it individual cups and transplant young. Personal experiences may vary but generally snap peas hate being tranplanted at all and will sulk for weeks afterward if roots are broken.

I much prefer presprouting to planting in containers but I don't have any bird problems... ;)

I have my peas soaking....

I will WS tonight

Posted by rich_manure:
Wasn't sure which type of seed or even if it mattters so I bought both snow and suagar snap. Anyone have a preference although I will sow both.

Snow peas are the flat eatable pods in chinese food... very tasty.
Sugar Snap peas are the eatable pods with regular sized peas inside. Let the peas swell for full sweetness. Mine rarely make it into the house and never make it to the stove to cook. We each hoard them then eat them while we are gardening.
I'd say plant both!
Andrea
Appaloosa909

I agree Andrea! I have not planted peas in a few years. When I did I had so many and they were yummy!!

I can't wait to plant peas this year. My veggie garden is going to be full!

Karen

I WSed sugar snap & snow peas today - gotta figure out what garden I'm putting them in before they go in the ground, so I thought it best to get them started!

ok did a direct sow thing and did peas on monday , rain again today we see what happens here.

ml

I direct sowed my sugar snap peas today. I did soak them overnight and I hope they do well.
Joann

I WS'ed my first peas yesterday -- shelling peas, "Progress #9". I'm also thinking of planting some directly in the ground to directly compare results...

What's a cheap way to make a trellis for peas? What do you all do? I've never grown peas before, and I'm not sure what to do with them... lol

Thanks!
Leisa

I put together a bamboo trellis this year for my peas. All told, I think the cost was something like $6. Just bamboo & twine, honestly. I put it up last weekend and it is holding up great. I may make another one too. So economical and actually kind of attractive, in its own rustic way. There's a video on the website and everything.

Here is a link that might be useful: Build a bamboo trellis

My peas are expected to reach a height of no more than 30". I used discarded real estate lines and nylon masonry twine for a very cheap trellis.

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I plant the tall ones and grow them on a 16 ft cattle panel, placed horizontally. I think the panel is about 40 inches high so the plants grow over the top. I tie a piece of cord around the panel near the top so they don't fall over too badly, but just let them droop over the top. They will join hands so if one falls they all may fall.

Real estate signs, not lines.

Leisa, if you have any deadfall from winter just plunge sticks/small branches into the ground and string some garden twine between them (do this when you plant the seeds). Just be sure the sticks are as high as your peas will be.

seedmama - what a great use of those real estate frames! I'm running out to grab some and to set them up along my line of peonies - will help prevent flop. The thick foliage will hide the frames :-D

I've always direct sown my peas in the garden mid to late May. They grow so fast they always have enough time to produce before the heat of the summer sets in.

If you choose to ws, I'd plant in individual cups that can be spaced apart. My sis-in-law planted a flat of them early indoors last year and ended up with a tangled mess by the time she could plant them out. I think they literally grow inches a day.

:)

tosser -- I just read your message... funny because I just stuck some bamboo poles in the ground and was planning to string some twine between them :)

Thanks for the tip! It confirms that what I'm doing will work!! And I'll save the branches from the butterfly bushes I have to prune and use them later.

I just checked mine this afternoon. I DS'd on Tuesday. Not a darn sprout anywhere in the line.

My seed packet says it can take up to two weeks to germinate, so maybe it's just too soon?

Leisa