Spring sowing of sweet pea seeds.
Ahoy there!
Just a quickie. I’m starting the spring sowing season by sowing up a dozen or so pots of sweet peas. I already have a similar amount of autumn-sown seedlings.
I sow my sweet pea seeds 2cm deep…I poke a hole up to the first knuckle of my forefinger.
IMPORTANT: Other than sweet peas and Cobaea scandens I rarely sow anything else until late March, and most of my sowing of annuals happens around mid to late April when light levels are high and the soil is getting warm…it is vastly easier to have success with seed sowing if you start later in the season…and later sown flowers usually catch up. If you want your flowers earlier in the season then sow them in early autumn…NOT late winter…ie February…..you have been warned! ;)
I have sown three seedlings in each 1 litre pot and given the pot a good watering. I don’t presoak my seeds and I almost always get an over 85% germination rate. If the compost of moist then the seeds will soften up quite happily.
Sweet peas like a little warmth to get them wriggling into life. I put my pots in this 64 Litre storage box from The Really Useful Box Company (Other box companies are available.) The box is then left inside the warmth of my boat until most of the seedlings are showing themselves. After this, the box (closed) will go outside on the roof of the boat until I am ready to plant the little beasties in the ground or in a container.
I don’t drill drainage or air holes in the boxes…I used to…but it makes no difference….just don’t water too heavily. I only open the box and leave it ajar in hot weather, which there won’t be much of before I plant the seedlings outside from late March to May.
I will keep you updated and write another post when I plant them out. :)
You can see our sweet pea portfolio of seeds in the Higgledy Garden Shop.
Thank you for reading.
Ben and Flash.