Seed soaking

So, before the very late frost and subsequent flooding we had in NW Arkansas I had soaked some seeds and stuck them in the ground to see what would happen. Mixed results at best.
I soaked corn, okra and peas for about 20 hours in well water. The corn soaked up the water and returned to the state it was in on the cob. Peas looked like they were in the pod.
The corn came up faster than if I had just put them in the ground. Peas didn't come up. I found one pea in the ground that had turned white. Maybe not enough post planting water? Don't know. Peas are supposed to be easy. The corn was damaged with the weather so pulled them up to start again.
The okra is what I was surprised about. The shells had either fallen off or were about to. They didn't come up either. I've never had an issue growing okra so something  is wrong with my process. I'm about to replant but the okra won't get soaked. It's going straight in the ground.
Can anyone tell me what I'm doing wrong? I'd sure think some nice thoughts about that person!

Interesting. I have heard that soaking seeds before sowing helps, but I have never done it.

My corn and peas grew fine without soaking (direct sowing).

I had mixed success with okra. I finally got some seeds to germinate this season, in seed trays instead of direct sowing like I prefer. I tried direct sowing okra previously and couldn't get it to grow.

Sorry it's limited input and evidence, but it the title of the post drew me in.

I've had pretty good luck soaking peas, beans and corn and even had excellent luck soaking spinach this year too.  I've never tried okra though.  

Depending on the temps, the peas may have rotted before sprouting since you mentioned flooding.  I actually used some old peat pots and started some inside this year to try and get a head start on the season and even then not every seed germinated.  Doesn't hurt to try again as maybe the conditions will be better this time.

I usually soak my seeds if I can remember to; I think it does help them take, especially if conditions are dry and I might not get out to water every day.
About okra-- this past summer (remembering we are in autumn now here in the southern hem) I planted okra at least 5 times. Soaked seed, different varieties, various times. The okra DID NOT COME UP and I was starting to question my sanity. I tried starting in seed trays, used different varieties from different sources (including seed I produced here last year), and still didn't come up.

I'm going to go purple here so hold on to your hats. This was not the only crop I had fail on me last year, and I started investigating the planting with the phases of the moon thing, and my experimentation was surprising. I planted 50 bean seeds on a "do not plant" day, and only 2 came up. I planted another batch on an "ideal" day, and they all came up. Same garden, same conditions. I don't remember what the conditions were when the okra finally took, but we've already had one mild frost and my okra are still no taller than me, so it was pretty late in the summer.
If you are so inclined, maybe check out the planting by the phase of the moon calendar business and see if it helps (I use a website, mooncalendar.astro-seek.com/gardening-moon-calendar-farmers-guide, but keep in mind I'm in the southern hemisphere and I believe you are not, so you need to select the right uption for up there on your side). I am definitely not inclined to believe in this sort of thing, but the results with the beans were really impressive. Next time I put out a large amount of seeds, I'm definitely looking at the calendar.