Sowing peas in pots is possible from January. This technique speeds up germination in order to obtain beautiful plants for transplanting into the ground by the end of winter.
2 good reasons to sow peas in pots
Pot seeding is very easy to do and works quite well with growing peas . It’s already a good point ! But this way of doing things also allows:
- To save time on the germination of the seeds because you will place your buckets under a greenhouse or a tunnel, which will allow you to gain precious degrees. The seeds of peas will therefore rise more quickly than in the ground.
- As you have complete control of the germination conditions, this also makes it possible to ensure that you have pea plants to transplant to replace the seedlings in the ground which would not have taken or which would not have tolerated the cold. Sowing in a pot can therefore be used as an emergency sowing .
Equipment needed for this sowing
- 6 X 6 cm plastic buckets or biodegradable natural wood fiber buckets of the same dimensions. You can also use cups that you have made with cardboard rolls.
- A bag of pea seeds: count 3 seeds per cup. Use fresh seeds. Warning ! Even well preserved from one year to the next in an airtight jar, the germinative power decreases .
- No need to provide horticultural compost or seedling compost . The soil from your vegetable garden is sufficient if it is lumpy, rich and light enough.
When to sow your peas in pots?
The seeds of peas germinate as soon as the soil temperature reaches about 15°C. Sowing is therefore possible under cover from January in the South , and rather in February in the North .
Autumn sowing , from the end of September to the beginning of November, is also possible in buckets.
In order to gain a few extra degrees at night, the use of a small greenhouse or a mobile tunnel is recommended. During the day, the temperature inside can reach 15 to 20°C without any problem. Do not forget in this case to open it to ventilate.
How to sow peas in pots?
- Fill the buckets with soil up to about 2 cm from the edge. No need to tamp down, rooting is better in a light growing medium.
- Taken out of the package, the pea seeds are wrinkled and dehydrated. It’s normal ! A little trick to make them germinate even faster is to soak your peas overnight in a container filled with lukewarm water, the day before sowing . You will find that your beans will have almost doubled in size!
- Place 3 to 4 peas in each cup, spacing them 2 cm apart. Then push the seeds in with your index finger.
- Fill with soil above, this time packing a little more.
- Finish with a watering. It will help rehydrate the seeds well.
- Thereafter, remember to water regularly to keep the soil moist, without excess.
How many cups to prepare?
You should know that a foot of peas is very productive. 6 to 8 buckets therefore already make it possible to obtain a very good harvest. Therefore, it is better to sow in small quantities (only 8 buckets at a time, for example) but to sow again every 15 days to spread the harvest over several weeks in a row.