"David in Normandy" wrote in message ...

On 20/08/2013 15:25, Bertie Doe wrote:


"Baz" wrote in message ...

"Bertie Doe" wrote in
:

I have left about 100 pods un-harvested, with a view to collecting
seed, as they're a bit pricey.

Should I leave the swollen pods to dry out in situ or should I shell
them and air-dry the peas? TIA.



Leave them in situ until the pod dries and goes papery. Then pick them
and
pod them. Put the dried peas in lightly salted tepid water for an hour
or
so to get rid of moth grub. The grub(if any) will float to the top, as
some
peas will. Get rid of anything that floats after the hour. Let the sunk
peas dry again and store them.
Bit of a faff, but getting rid of duff seed will give much better
germination rate at sowing time next year. And no grub can hibernate.

I've tried air drying the pods on the vine once before. I may have left
them too late as all the pods went black and I discarded the lot.

Haven't tried again since. Mind you, it was a very wet September that
.. year IIRC.



I've only lost them when it has been very wet; the peas rotted in the pods
rather than ripening. For that reason I always like to harvest lots of
spare seeds, enough for two or three years plantings. Id rather throw away
surplus seed than not have enough. Just as well I have this policy too -
for two years running I lost all my mangetout seedlings. Something ate them
off around half inch above the ground. This year I started them off in half
a dozen seed trays on an outdoor table and didn't plant them out until they
were a few inches high - tearing them into strips to plant in the ground.
Next year I might try planting the seeds in guttering as someone on here
has suggested previously.

If they sprout during a wet period, I suspect slugs and snails are the
culprits - rather than birds.

Following the urg guttering tip, I tried it for the 2012 season. I found
germination rates were low. Probably due to the shallow soil depth in
guttering. I may have let them dry out on a couple of occasions.