Green Peas: a Seed-Starting Experiment

It's really still too early to plant peas outside.  But it's really not that long until time to plant, is it? I wondered if I could get a head start on my peas by starting them indoors this year.

I decided to go ahead and plant the pea seeds in individual biodegradable containers and save my plastic four-, six-, and nine-packs for other things.  I had a few peat pots that I bought at my favorite little local feed store, but after watching this video by Huw Richards, I decided to experiment with toilet paper rolls again.

I say "again " because I tried using toilet paper rolls to start tomatoes and peppers last year.  I would categorize that attempt as a moderate failure.  

The seeds I put in the pot sprouted and grew, but the process of getting the dirt in the rolls was ridiculous.  

I had cut the rolls in half, thinking I could get more containers that way.  I quickly discovered that it was almost impossible to fill the little half-rolls with soil.  I tried lining them with paper towel in the bottom.  It helped, but it was very awkward trying to hold the paper towel in the end while adding the soil (anything that requires good motor skills is hard for me, since I am notorious for dropping things).  I eventually ended up just setting the half-rolls in the cut-off milk jug and trying to cram the rolls full of the soil.  I'm pretty sure I ended spilling as much as I got in the containers. 

The cardboard soaks up water really quickly and as it gets saturated, the rolls may start to come apart at the seam.  What I hadn't realized was that by cutting the tubes in half, there was a lot less seam holding them together, and they were coming completely apart in just a couple of days. 

Then came the mold.  And when I say mold, I mean monster mold!  All of the cardboard tubes quickly developed a heavy layer that started on the outside, but then began spreading inwards to the soil.  I really think I was lucky that the half rolls held together long enough for me to get the seedlings set out in little grow pots.

I didn't think I'd ever try the rolls again, but watching the video made me think that my problem might have been that I kept the trays too wet.  Apparently there are lots of people out there who use them successfully, so I decided to give it one more try.

This time though, I decided to leave the rolls in one piece, and as I often do, I puzzled on it a good part of the night when I was supposed to be sleeping.  I came up with a plan that I hoped would work.

The supplies:  1) The cardboard toilet paper rolls (and a paper towel roll, that was cut into thirds);  2) a proper plastic tray to hold the rolls (milk jugs are too small and uneven on the bottom); and 3) a cardboard egg carton.

My "brilliant idea" was this...cut the "cups" out of the bottom of the egg carton, and stuff those down into the toilet paper rolls to create a "bottom" for each container.

Separate the egg "holders" into individual units.

Then stuff each one in a tube!

The completed "pots," ready for soil.

I was actually really pleased with how the egg carton bottoms worked.  I was able to pick up each tube and spoon the damp soil in and press it down into the tube to get a good fill.  I filled each tube to within about an inch from the top, and only spilled a little this time! (For the record, it's not very easy to cut the egg-holding part of a cardboard egg carton apart!)

Ready for planting!  I sprinkled about 1/8 teaspoon of the Plant Success Organics Mycorrhiza granules in each tube/peat pot.

After soaking the pea seeds in warm water for about 30 minutes, each pea was put into its own little pot and topped off with soil.

And finally, a label for each pot, just because I have a ton of popsicle sticks, and wanted to be able to keep up with where each plant is once set out in the ground.

I had the potting soil pretty damp...notice how the toilet paper rolls have already soaked up a lot of the water.  One of the tubes has already started to unravel a bit at the top.  I hope it will hold together and that the others don't do the same thing.

The finished trays were then set in the south window of the inside porch.  The porch is unheated, and still gets down in the low 40s at night when the outside temperature is in the 20s.  But they'll have good sunshine all day, and I hope to see the peas coming up within a week to 10 days.

I planted 18 toilet paper/paper towel tubes and 15 peat pots.  I'm guessing that the toilet paper tubes held two and a half times as much soil as the peat pots, and I was able to fit more of the the rolls into a smaller tray.  I really liked that...the tubes go vertical more than horizontal.  It will be interesting to see if having more soil, or making the roots grow deeper has any impact on the seedlings after they're put out in the garden.

And now, we wait.  

Update:  April 1, 2022

I set them all out in the garden and they all died or were eaten by rabbits.