Assuming that you mean English type peas (Pisum sativum)getting them emerge is the toughest part of fall planting. Soil should be moist but wet. Temperature is more difficult, but you may have solved that with shade. They deinitely do not germinate well in hot soil. If they don't germinate satisfactorily, you may try a second planting around Thanksgiving to early December for Spring harvest (April) That is what we have to do here.

Thanks for the advice, after planting tomatoes too late this year I was afraid I'd miss the pea planting time (seasons are very different here). I will do what you say-- keep watering the soil a little and if they don't come up then I will try again in a few weeks. BTW...I planted shelling peas and snow peas.

I'd think that you could pre-sprout the pea seeds on wet/damp paper towels in the fridge, and then when sprouted, plant the peas outside in their permanent place.

ÂWet some paper towels, squeeze the water out by hand, and you should have damp towels.

ÂDistribute seeds on one towel, cover with another damp towel, and roll up into a log. ÂPut your seed-starting log into a plastic bag (a zip-lock works well) and seal (to prevent evaporation). ÂPut sealed bag into fridge.

ÂCheck now and then for germination. ÂAs seeds germinate, plant them in your garden. ÂIf you haven't made one already, make a trellis or other support for your peas.

In my climate, peas love ful sun and damp, rich soil.

Good luck - and don't forget to send me a handful of fresh, yummy, sweet peas.....

I am new to vegetable gardening and came here to post exactly the same question title as the original poster but I have a different kind of question. I am in zone 6 so obviously I am not planting now but I am planning ahead for the spring in what I want to put in my garden. My pea questions would be which kind of peas grow on vines that you need a bean pole for and which kind are more like a ground plant? I am wondering about the difference between maybe snow peas, snap peas, sweet peas or sugar peas. After I figure out which kind of pea I will post again with questions on that specific pea growing. Thanks in advance to all who help. :-)

Pisum sativum, generally fits into three broad categories. Snow peas (sometimes called Oriental peas) have thin flat pods, that are harvested and eaten before peas form in the pods. Snap peas are also edible podded peas, but have fleshy pods. Shelling peas have tough fibrous pods and are used for the peas. Green shelling is the most prevalent use, but the yellow dried soup peas also fit into this category. Each of these categories have both dwarf and vining cultivars.

What is your planting advise on snow or snap.. Is snap also considered a sugar pea?

Snap peas are more versatile and easier for most of us to grow. Snow peas are delcious in stir fries and Oriental dishes. Just remeber tha snow peas are less heat tolerant and have a short harvest window. They get tough and fibrous when peas began to form. The vine tips are also used in oriental dishes. Both types will often have "sugar" in the cultivar name as in Sugar Snap, Sugar Sprint or Mammoth Melting Sugar, Oregon Sugar Pod ( snow peas) There are 42 cultivars of snap pea that I know about and many of them have names including sugar or honey. 44 cultivars of snow pea, many with sugar or sweet in the name, but more with non- English names.

katibgardener,

Even in the shade, 90 degrees is way too hot. Try moving them indoors. Don't worry, sunlight is only important after they sprout. Might be best to start a new batch. Dig up a few of your seeds and see if they are starting to sprout or just rotting.

I saw 3 of my peas start to sprout but we got a storm the other night with high winds and some rain. I think that did my new sprouts in because when I went out to water them, there were just little green leaves on top of the soil with nothing attached. I am trying to sprout some new ones in the frig right now, but nothing yet (I just started them this weekend, don't know how long it should take).

Katib, you could plant your sprouted seeds in pots indoors to give them a safe start. Then when the plants are up and about and are less prone to attack by cutworms and other creeps, you could plant the pea plants out in your garden.

Apparently, peas don't like to be transplanted, so you could make transplant pots from newspaper sheets that you roll and fold into pots. (Make the pots thin-walled, so they disintegrate quickly when planted in the garden soil.). Before transplanting the pea plants into your garden, soak the pots well to help the paper break down. You don't remove the pea plants from the newspaper pot; you plant pot and all and try not to disturb the roots.

Once planted into moist soil, the newspaper pot would soften and rot to let roots grow in all directions.

Or, you could make the paper pots without bottoms and pack the pots close together in a tray to prevent the soil from spilling out.

Or you could plant your sprouted seeds in large tubs/planters/pots that you'd move outside when the pea plants have several true leaves or larger. I mean, pots large enough for the pea plants to grow in for the season.

Many people have problems getting peas to grow, so a bit of experimenting may be the way to go to find a sure method that works for you.

Here is a link that might be useful: grow pots from black&white newspaper (not shiny paper!)