OK you knowledgeable people. I have never attempted growing peas, but know that they need to be planted now. The snow is finally melting and I want to get these peas in the ground.

The question - do I soak them first in a container with a liquid such as diluted fish emulsion or do I place them in between wet paper towels and put them on the fridge to sprout? Or, do I just plant them in the cool soil that's been covered with shredded leaves through the winter?

This is such a new area for me this year as "son" wants to learn ALL about gardening at once by planting EVERY vegetable he/we has/have room for. It's a learning curve for me too,as I know about tomatoes, beans, peppers, and root crops, etc. Melons have never done well for me, but.......we shall see again this year as [u]bagins[/u] was so kind to send me two kinds of watermlon seeds.

I love this SeedGroup where we will be saving seeds for everyone this summer. Hopefully I can get all of my seeds next year from the group in trade.

I can only offer what I do personally.
I put my seeds in a shallow bowl of water for maybe 2 hours. Then I pour off the water and sprinkle the seeds with nitrogen innoculant. I then plant, sprinkling in a little more innoculant as I go.

Depending on your soil conditions you may want to soak them. I never have soaked anything since our soil holds just the right amount of moisture for germination. Peas usually sprout in 7-10 days here.

I didn't soak my pea seeds but I covered the ground with clear plasric to warm up the soil before hand and then planted them right before a lucky warm spell we had.

Maybe you could soak half and plant the others dry, You know experiment. I always laugh at myself because everything I do seems to end up as an experiment.HAHA

I figure if the ground is still cold and you soak them first, they may rot but who the h--- knows. Your son wants to know, let him do the test. (guilt free HAHA)

lisaann Zone6 Maryland

There are two reasons for soaking pea seeds before planting, 1) to loosen the, often, hard seed coat so it can germinate, and 2) to get the seed started germinating so the cold ground won't inhibit that growth. Do you need to pre soak pea seeds? Not really but they do grow faster if you do. Most people I know will simply plunk the seeds in a bowl of tepid water for 24 hours and then plant. If you do let them soak linger and they start to germinate you run the risk of knocking off the newly emerging rootlet and killing the potential plant.

An old farmer told me that to speed up the germination of squash seeds, one can place them between a couple of sheets of really moist paper towel, and keep them there until the tiny root starts to appear, then immediately plant the seeds in the ground. I guess this method could work for peas too, or could at least be tried in an experimental way.
If I were to try it, I would make sure I have all of my planting holes drilled before I place the peas in them.

I never soak my pea seeds prior to planting, but make a point of watering them daily once planted. Don't think it would be a bad idea, but in my soil it isn't necessary as they sprout quickly without the presoak. My Sugar Snaps are making and we had the first of them last night. Yummy! Good luck with yours.

I read all of your suggestions and took all of them to heart. I had removed the leaves for the soil to warm up, soaked half of each of the 2 packages in warm water for about 3 hours, and then planted them.

I am always one for experimentation - who knows what will work well unless we try new things? So I will wait 1-2 weeks to see if the first half sprouts and then plant the rest if anything fails to start. "Son" is just purchasing his first house (closing is in 2 weeks) and the landscaping is in dire need of help. There is no place for him to plant a garden this year, so it will have to be at my house. Lucky me. I've suggested wine barrels for him to plant the rest of his garden. We shall see. For now, the peas stay here.

The current issue of Organic Gardening Magazine has an article about growing peas, including why to soak and how long.

Thanks, KimmSr. I thought I'd read the newest issue. Guess not, but will look for the pea article. If I failed on this group of peas, there's always the rest of the packages.

Another question about early crops.

Should I plant baby bok choy soon as I KNOW it's not suited for warmer weather - ask me how I know! Last year's bok choy experiment crop bolted almost immediately in the unusual higher temps in June. Planted more the end of July and this crop did better.

If you've never tried a lettuce called "merveille de quatre saisons", I would suggest at least trying some. This lettuce was a sure winner for me (another new experiment) throughout the whole summer with no setting seeds (or bolting either) until around October. The lettuce eventually forms a small head, but the outer leaves were just as tasty as the whole head of lettuce. [u]Bagins[/u] has lots of seeds if you'd like to try them. (Hope it was OK to post his name amd some of the many seeds he has.)