Two of the snap pea seeds have risen to the top of the soil, bloated
and pale. (they remind me of macadamia nuts) Should I cover them back
up? Push them down? Did I not plant them deep enough? One has split
and a green stem is uncurling from it.

DiGiTAL_ViNYL (no email)

It happens all the time, and it is normal for them to look bloated and pale
at this point. Just push them back in with your finger, or scrape a little
dirt back up on top of them. Treat the one that has germinated carefully,
so you don't break off the shoot.

Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA


"DigitalVinyl" wrote in message
...
Two of the snap pea seeds have risen to the top of the soil, bloated
and pale. (they remind me of macadamia nuts) Should I cover them back
up? Push them down? Did I not plant them deep enough? One has split
and a green stem is uncurling from it.

DiGiTAL_ViNYL (no email)

"SugarChile" wrote:

It happens all the time, and it is normal for them to look bloated and pale
at this point. Just push them back in with your finger, or scrape a little
dirt back up on top of them. Treat the one that has germinated carefully,
so you don't break off the shoot.

Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA

Thanks. I spotted a third when I was pushing the other two back in. I
thouhgt maybe 1" deep wasn't enough.
DiGiTAL_ViNYL (no email)

"DigitalVinyl"
Thanks. I spotted a third when I was pushing the other two back in. I
thouhgt maybe 1" deep wasn't enough.

An inch is about right. Rain always seems to expose a few seeds each year
no matter how carefully I plant them.

Do you have your trellis/pea fence/pea brush in place? I find that even
with the short varieties, it helps to offer them some support, and with the
taller ones it's essential. My plants are about 6 inches high, and I'm
getting hungry already!

Cheers,
Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA

"SugarChile" wrote:


"DigitalVinyl"
Thanks. I spotted a third when I was pushing the other two back in. I
thouhgt maybe 1" deep wasn't enough.

An inch is about right. Rain always seems to expose a few seeds each year
no matter how carefully I plant them.

Do you have your trellis/pea fence/pea brush in place? I find that even
with the short varieties, it helps to offer them some support, and with the
taller ones it's essential. My plants are about 6 inches high, and I'm
getting hungry already!
I have spare tomato cages, I was going to use a side of that. SHould
the wire be directly over the peas or can I mount it three inches back
against the side of the container?

Don't know what success I'll have. First timer, planted them late but
I did inoculate them. Two green shoots are breaking ground today. At
least their alive!

Thanks.
Cheers,
Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA


DiGiTAL_ViNYL (no email)

What type of tomato cages? Those conical things? Or ones made of concrete
reinforcing wire? I've never used them for peas, and I don't think they'd
be my first choice. Pea foliage is rather tender, and I'd be concerned that
the metal would heat up in the sun. The supports may be spaced a bit far
apart as well. If someone has used them successfully, feel free to jump in
and correct me!

I use stakes, run some rough twine like jute or sisal between them
horizontally, then wind the twine vertically up and down. Peas climb with
small tendrils, and they grasp onto the rough twine well. When I have them,
I also use tree prunings; peas love to climb up brush. Someone on the list
last year recommended buddleia prunings, which I am using this year and they
are working out well. Whatever you use, it can be several inches away from
the plants. When they get a few inches high, you can gently show them the
way and get them started.

Congratulations on the green shoots!! It's exciting to me each and every
year.

Cheers,
Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA

"DigitalVinyl" wrote in message
Do you have your trellis/pea fence/pea brush in place?

I have spare tomato cages, I was going to use a side of that. SHould
the wire be directly over the peas or can I mount it three inches back
against the side of the container?

Don't know what success I'll have. First timer, planted them late but
I did inoculate them. Two green shoots are breaking ground today. At
least their alive!

Would chain-link fencing work??

just wondering for next year...

dave


email: daveallyn at bwsys dot net
please respond in this NG so others
can share your wisdom as well!

Not sure about chain link fencing but I use 4' high hog wire. It has 4"
openings, works great.

For the taller variety I use a 6' high chicken wire, don't work as well due
to the smaller openings and the light weight of the wire. I should have used
something taller as my plants are over 8' tall and have all flopped over on
the top of said wire and has made picking them difficult.

My 2 cents.
--
Sam
Along the Grand Strand of Myrtle Beach SC
"Dave Allyn (Dave Allyn)" wrote in message
...
Would chain-link fencing work??

just wondering for next year...

dave


email: daveallyn at bwsys dot net
please respond in this NG so others
can share your wisdom as well!

On Sat, 17 May 2003 04:47:42 GMT, "Dave Allyn"
(Dave Allyn) wrote:

Would chain-link fencing work??

just wondering for next year...

For peas? Probably fine. They like to climb on almost anything. I'm
sure "ideal" supports make growing/picking optimal, but I had some
compost pile discards take root and produce a nice little harvest
climbing from plant to bush to fence with no trouble.

That is, I wouldn't erect chain-link fencing as a pea support, but
would be fairly confident planting some close to an existing fence.
It's great for melons -- they climb, and the fruit can easily be
supported along the fence with net onion bags or old stockings or
whatever.

"SugarChile" wrote:

What type of tomato cages? Those conical things? Or ones made of concrete
reinforcing wire? I've never used them for peas, and I don't think they'd
be my first choice. Pea foliage is rather tender, and I'd be concerned that
the metal would heat up in the sun. The supports may be spaced a bit far
apart as well. If someone has used them successfully, feel free to jump in
and correct me!
I've got a lot of bird netting left over (black nylon net, holes about
large enough for my thumb). Maybe I should just staple it to two
stakes and stretch it across. The heating up of the metal cage
concerns me a little--even for my tomatoes. Hopefully they will be so
abundant the cage will disappear in all the foliage and fruits. :-)

I use stakes, run some rough twine like jute or sisal between them
horizontally, then wind the twine vertically up and down. Peas climb with
small tendrils, and they grasp onto the rough twine well. When I have them,
I also use tree prunings; peas love to climb up brush. Someone on the list
last year recommended buddleia prunings, which I am using this year and they
are working out well. Whatever you use, it can be several inches away from
the plants. When they get a few inches high, you can gently show them the
way and get them started.

Congratulations on the green shoots!! It's exciting to me each and every
year.
A third and fourth have poked out. The seed instructions said to sow
them every 1"-1.5" because they are poor germinators. Yet the packet
say 80% germination rate. It also said "Do not thin." ! ? In
Sq.Ft.Gardening Bartholemew recommends a 3" sq. spacing. I'm not sure
why they would say do not thin. The four breaking ground now are all
in 6" row together. That IS too close, right? (Sugar Sprint, Snap
Peas; 58 days) I'll wait until they are growing a bit before picking
the healthies to survive.
DiGiTAL_ViNYL (no email)

"DigitalVinyl" wrote in message
I've got a lot of bird netting left over (black nylon net, holes about
large enough for my thumb). Maybe I should just staple it to two
stakes and stretch it across. The heating up of the metal cage
concerns me a little--even for my tomatoes. Hopefully they will be so
abundant the cage will disappear in all the foliage and fruits. :-)

The bird netting should work. And you are correct that the tomato cage will
disappear beneath the tomato plants.

I never thin peas; in fact I usually plant double rows. They don't mind
being crowded as long as they have something to climb.

Sue

Zone 6, Southcentral PA

A third and fourth have poked out. The seed instructions said to sow
them every 1"-1.5" because they are poor germinators. Yet the packet
say 80% germination rate. It also said "Do not thin." ! ? In
Sq.Ft.Gardening Bartholemew recommends a 3" sq. spacing. I'm not sure
why they would say do not thin. The four breaking ground now are all
in 6" row together. That IS too close, right? (Sugar Sprint, Snap
Peas; 58 days) I'll wait until they are growing a bit before picking
the healthies to survive.
DiGiTAL_ViNYL (no email)