Starting Peas Early

Here is an interesting video on starting peas early in short lengths of gutter (eavestrough) and then transferring them virtually undisturbed into the garden.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X8WqHJ0trdU&list=PL3VEy0_tuFgSA596wd13Ka2UfA3Pw0S1s

Ooohh! Wicked! I like this a lot. Thanks for sharing!

Wow! I may give that a try. Thanks.

Clever.... I'm seeing PVC pipe in my future....

Pretty slick! Thanks!

I did the guttering thing many years ago ,  it is OK so long as you lightly cover the top of the ejected soil that the peas are growing in if your using a really high fibre growth medium.

If you don't cover it with a light mulch of say an inch depth it tends to dry out very quick as it acts like a wick in water .
 
 When I changed over to using the 3 " lengths of kitchen sink waste pipe  to make  bottomless plastic tubes for plant pots plugged at the bottom with a 1/2 " thick disc of firm closed cell foam , this wicking was far less noticeable . The smaller surface area doesn't allow for a massive evaporation especially ifyou make  a larger than needed hole for the plug plant and back fill it 3/4 " above the plant plug's soil top . Plus I can grow far more peas to transplantable size in a much smaller space on the heated UV bed as I now grow two peas per tube .


 You can also grow beans in a similar manner but again the tube set up is far superior  , for 30 beans are now grown  in 15 small individual tubes , each tube being just over 1.5 ounces when the bean is at transplant size .

You can then put the tubed transplants in a deep seed tray top it up to the brim with rainwater  and let them soak for an hour or so before planting out straight afterwards.
 
Doing that including the hours soaking  in a section of plastic gutter full of growth medium and plants tends to get messy  , not to mention you risking having them all slide out in to the wrong place or on to the floor .