My peas aren’t exactly the success story of my garden. I believe that this is, in large part, because one package of snow peas is dead. The package says they’re good until August 2012, but I’m thinking it’s wrong.
Above is a photo of the current state of my peas (with a few radishes between the poles). I have sown them in three successive plantings:
On the 10th of April I planted the first batch. That was the full moon phase (good for root vegetables). They were all no-shows. I attribute this to the fact that I soaked the peas overnight rather than the phase of the moon.
30th April planting in foreground, 16th April in background
On the 16th of April, the last quarter moon phase (nothing should be planted) I sowed seeds on the inside poles (the bottom row in the photo above). 7 peas around the right most poles and 8 snow peas on the left (all plantings are 3 seeds per pole). 5 of the peas are going well, none of the snow peas sprouted.
Then on the 30th of April I planted again. Regular peas around outside poles (the right 3 of the top row in the photo above) and filled gaps in the inside poles. The snow peas went around the 4 left-most poles (inside and outside). The snow peas all remain no-shows. The 30th of April was the first quarter moon phase – perfect for peas. This planting is slightly behind the planting of 2 weeks earlier but are they as much behind as a 2 week delay would explain? Did the moon influence these?
None of the snow peas have sprouted. I suspect the dried peas are dead. I’m giving them one more chance. I’ve taken the remainder of the packet and spread them on a wet paper towel. I’ll cover them with a wet paper towel that I’ll mist daily. If anything sprouts, it will get planted. Otherwise I’m putting more normal peas in the ground and will have my 3rd successive planting of peas.
Laura Rittenhouse's Gardening Journal 
Laura, I have also had a bit of trouble with my snow peas not coming up, but I am not as good as you at keeping records. You cannot keep peas for next years planting, so I just tend to put lots of seeds in and then hope some of them come up 🙂 some I soaked in a light seaweed solution overnight. I am also planting succession plantings every couple of weeks as I find just as they are dying off I realize I should have planted more!
How do the peas know I’ve kept them for a year and not that they were just bought for planting this year as they don’t expire until 3 months from now? They are in a simple paper package with no foil lining so it’s not like I’ve broken a seal or anything. And, as you can see, they’re from a well known seed provider – not some fly-by-night mob dumping duds at a market stall or whatever.
Even new peas don’t sprout that well in my experience. I’ve read a lot about over planting of veggie seeds so you get enough to sprout but, with most plants, I seem to get close to 1-for-1 sprouting from seeds. With peas it’s maybe 70%.
Like you, I often realise I don’t have enough planted – but that goes for most things in the garden. I wonder how big my back yard would need to be so I’d have enough space for food to satisfy all my cravings. Especially if you count things like strawberry plants (that I have never gotten even a measly crop from but that I’m about to devote a good-sized bed to) from which it’s impossible to harvest too much.
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