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Old April 8, 2019   #1
Tropicalgrower
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Default My seeds keep pushing themselves out of the ground.

I looked and looked for a good fit for this post


I have built raised beds with a raised bed mix from the local soils company.It's a mix of aged bark, compost and pumice.I have had to replant several bulbs of my garlic,and when I planted my peas,I ended up with 20 or so that have worked their way out of the soil and just laying on top of the soil.Maybe sunbathing,I dunno.


I have never seen this before,but it is also my first time with raised beds.


Any ideas?
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Old April 8, 2019   #2
Worth1
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How deep are they being planted.
You can go pretty deep with soft soil.
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Old April 8, 2019   #3
Labradors2
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As Worth implies, perhaps the bulbs were not planted deep enough or else your soil is too light and fluffly. OR you have squirrels digging them up.


I have also had that problem with peas, and I think that it's either critters digging them or perhaps they swell when it rains and they heave out of the soil.

Linda
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Old April 8, 2019   #4
oakley
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I soak my peas overnight, preferably 24 hours. Up to 48 is fine. Poke down into a
1/2 thumb deep hole, cover and wet. Tamp down soil firm, then cover with a 2x4 or
similar. I have 18 inch 2x4s for newly planted seed. 18" is about what I like to
start each week in succession for peas. 2 rows close together.

Day 5-6 peas get active, frisky, and move around quite a bit. The root end will find
the correct direction about that time, day 6-7.

Covering with a board does a few things. Keeps out birds/kritters. Keeps the soil
lightly moist. Any sudden rain storms tend to flush out seeds...too much moisture
will flush them to the surface. Also protects from the dreaded overwatering. Pea
seed does not like to be days on end wet. They rot. AND, if your weather is dry after
planting, sunny, the soil under the board will remain lightly moist. Not soggy wet.

Day 7-8 they will be up and ready to receive sun. Birds loose interest to sprouted
plants.

I do the same with seed salads. But span the raised beds above the soil. It avoids
Spring rain wash-out, keeps the soil evenly moist and provides partial shade. Once
up in about a week I start another row next to that one moving the board over.
Re-peat over the summer months for a solid succession of salad greens.

When the weather gets hot I grow all my salads under a shade frame. Most give up
salad in the heat.

Last edited by oakley; April 8, 2019 at 09:20 AM.
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Old April 8, 2019   #5
ChiliPeppa
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Crows, ravens, or squirrels. For some reason crows love pulling up peas and beans. I have to cover my pea bed with mesh wire until they are sprouted because the ravens love to mess with them.
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Old April 8, 2019   #6
Worth1
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Guy on YouTube has a good way of combating the critters.
He sprouts the peas in a half pipe and when they are sprouted he slides the wholel lot into the garden.
Pulling the pipe as he pushes the sprouted peas out.
The channel is called allotment diary.
Lots of good information.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7L...sSfIgLDa_Sj2ZQ
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Old April 8, 2019   #7
slugworth
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birds
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Old April 8, 2019   #8
oldman
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The birds aren't after the pea. They're responding to movement when the seed sprouts and dig around hunting for a bug/ the thing that moved. Since the pea only moved once it doesn't move when the bird is digging for food. Since the bird has a brain the size of the pea, it never figures out why it can't find food or what the movement was. If you mulch with a half inch of straw the action happens out of sight and the birds will leave the peas alone. It's easier than wire mesh.
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Old April 9, 2019   #9
Tropicalgrower
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I have had some of my garlic bulbs do the same thing.I am quite sure it isn't critters.


I think Linda is on to something,as I thought it was heaving as well,but we aren't experiencing any extreme weather.It's weird.
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Old April 9, 2019   #10
jtjmartin
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There are probably many different pathways for "surfacing seeds."

Some of my pea seeds were exposed this year. At the time I thought that a heavy rain may have washed away the loosened soil that was covering the seed.

Jeff
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Old April 10, 2019   #11
brownrexx
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Some of my pea seeds always do that and I think that it's because some of the seeds get planted upside down and the root pushes out of the top instead of the bottom

As the root turns towards the soil to grow downwards, it pushes the seed up.
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Old April 10, 2019   #12
Worth1
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I always plant at least 1 inch deep.
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Old April 10, 2019   #13
ChiliPeppa
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oldman it's not about 'movement'. When you've repeatedly seen an entire row of beans or peas systematically dug up you realize that they just like to pick them out of the ground for some reason.
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