ummmm... oh no have i messed up me beans and peas?!

[Urban Ayisha]

spent ages putting out my peas and broad beans to over winter today, i used plastic bottles as cloches in very neat and tidy rows and even used a tape measure to space them properly.... but... got home, and i thought.. should i have watered the seeds in?! not sure when il next be able to get down there as got a bit of a hectic week ahead. i dont know if i have in the past, but do u water all seeds in?! whats the rule, if any. my brain is fried!

[pumpy]

This time of year they will be fine. They probably won't need watering at-all for the winter (unless it's unusually dry). If anything you need to be aware of too much moisture, in case the seeds rot.

[Urban Ayisha]

phew! thanks!

[MuddyWitch]

ISH folk to the rescue, don't you just love this site!

MW

[Urban Ayisha]

i sometimes wish for ISH help at hand when i'm alone at the allotment! was genuinely thinking that yesterday!! like a phone system lol. perhaps a bit intrusive, but, yknow...

[Cheezy]

Keep an eye on the pea's for signs of mice, they'll try and dug under your cloches so you should see small burrows.

Mine always get devisated, the winter sown ones are more likely to get through unscathed than spring sown ones, which always get eaten. For some reason the beans never get touched.

I've tried all sorts of counter measures (chillie, soot etc). But the only thing that works is to grow them in the greenhouse/cloche then plant them out.

Bob Flowerdew soaks them in a weak solution of seaweed feed, it masks the smell of the peas apparently, I'm going to try that this year.

[jim]

Should be ok at this time of year, however with spring sown beans - french or runners - I always soak them in a bucket of water while I'm preparing the trenches. That gives them a real head start,

Love and Peace
Jim

[grahamhobbs]

Are cloches necessary? I certainly don't protect my broad beans, they are hardy enough. The peas I usually cover, but mainly to keep the birds away, when they are small and to stop them getting a battering by the wind in the meantime until I put the pea sticks in.
Traditionally mice were deterred by soaking the seeds in paraffin, even the old organic books recommended it, but seaweed sounds better. Would comfrey tea do the same I wonder?

[Urban Ayisha]

i am only using 'cloches' to try and protect from birds, mainly, but i didnt even think of mice!