I have never had a problem with peas germinating but I always soak them overnight before planting. When doing this there sometimes will be sprouts that I am planting. Cover them appro 1" deep and they should be up in about 3-5 days. Incidentally the fixer that doccat5 is speaking about is a nitrogen inoculant and will have no bearing on germination. It helps the peas roots "which is a legume" afix nitrogen taken from the air and place it in the soil.

Questions, do I have questions! LOL

Leafspot - where in OH? Was born & raised in N central OH & 99% of family still live there.

PEA QUESTIONS - We're in Zone 5. Is it too early to start peas for Fall crop?

If so, when is the best time to start a Fall crop?

Read a few weeks ago about soaking peas with either vitamin C or Folic Acid. Now I can't find the amount. Anyone know?

I am growing peas for the first time this year. I used the hint in OG and soaked my seeds in vit c (Stronger Seedlings, April 08) and they all came up and are growing well, about 4 feet tall. They don't have a single flower on them while the tomatoes, beans, peppers have all set fruit. Any suggestions?

Rabbits, I don't know where you live, but peas (regular English, snap, & snow) are a cool-weather crop. Most folks start sowing them in early spring (March/April) for a late May/June harvest. They won't flower or fruit well (if at all) in hot weather. In fact, you'll be lucky if the plants even survive in summer's heat.

If you have seeds leftover or can get some more, think about doing a repeat sowing for a before-frost fall harvest.

As far as when to sow for fall - find out the approx. harvest date of the pea variety you want to grow & calculate it based on when you usually get your first hard frost. Peas can withstand light frosts, but can crumple in a really hard one. It's always a toss-up, but seed is relatively inexpensive & it's always fun when it works.

depending upon your zone, peas won't fruit until sometime in the summer. Mine are fruiting now. The time lapse between flower and mature fruit is much shorter than for many other crops. The flowers seem to appear overnight and the fruits shortly thereafter. Don't worry unless you see mildew or dying leaves.

Maggie

My pea lesson this year:

Don't give up.

I planted a little later then I would've liked. I would've hoped to harvest mid-June.

They didn't do much (rabbit damage didn't help much, either). Had a heat wave at the beginning of June. My trellis starts about 4" off the ground, and the peas didn't even make it there.

I had them early in June already putting out flowers when less then 4" high.

So as I was working around, I "weeded" most of them out.

Weather turned to warm but a lot of overcast days and a lot, lot of pop up showers and thunderstorms for the last three weeks.

The two surviving pea plants...

This past week shot up from 4" to 2-1/2' tall and set a bunch of flowers. I *would've* lucked out into a decent crop had I not given up.

Next spring: I *will* plant them as early as I should!

Bump - and question.

Starting Fall plantings... Have always soaked peas before planting, but somewhere I read to soak them with either vitamin C or folic acid. Now I can't find the reference and the peas are already in hot water. Help! I may be the one in hot water. LOL

DUH! Guess it would have helped to read the 2nd page......... (Thanks rabbit!)

Just an update. We are in Upper Michigan so have a cooler climate than most. My peas have finally flowered and we should have LOTS of peas. I haven't grown them before so I don't know if it was the vitamin c, but they are well over 4 feet tall and almost every seed germinated. Thanks for your help. I didn't pull them out and it payed off.

I just finished pulling my pea plants and still had a few blossoms. They were late in starting but we had vines that were seven feet tall and had lots of delicious peas. We are in Upper Michigan but I am going to plant again to see if I can get another crop. I did soak my peas in Vit.C as suggested in your magazine. Don't know it that was the magic pill but I'm doing it again. Patience was the key. Thanks for all the good information.