Most folk sow their sweet peas in March and April but it’s also possible to sow them from late October onwards. The advantage being that the sweet pea roots have another six months of wriggling about before the spring, which results in bigger plants with more flowers. At the Higgledy Garden I like to make both an autumn and a spring sowing. The spring sown flowers will flower later in the season.
Mice go utterly nuts for sweet pea seeds. Make sure the pesky critters can’t get to your pots as they will scoff the lot in one sitting. I don’t have a greenhouse or indeed a coldframe (as my garden is on a boat) so I germinate (and overwinter) my sweet peas in a clear plastic storage box with a lid. This keeps all the pests out and also keeps the frost out too.
…talking of frost. While sweet peas don’t seem to be too bothered by a light frost, a heavy frost can kill them off. So keep your seedlings in a sheltered place like a greenhouse, coldframe or indeed a storage box. (I use 64L boxes from The Really Useful Company. Rymans usually have them on sale.)
Sow your sweet pea seeds in deep pots, especially if you are sowing in autumn. The pots I use in autumn are about 13cm deep and 10 cm across. I use Melcourt peatfree ‘Sylva Mix’ compost. In the spring I use 3 inch square pots. (Check me mixing my metric and imperial…I know….what a crazy dude!)
The reason we have the first knuckle on our forefinger is because it is the right depth to sow your sweet peas….about 1cm.
Some folk like to germinate their sweet peas on damp kitchen paper. I’ve never tried it but it sounds like fun…and kiddywinks might enjoy it too.
It’s important that sweet pea seedlings get plenty of light. If they don’t they will get leggy and they will become weak. This will make you sad and frustrated. A windowsill is not light enough.
Plant out in April/May/June. Autumn sown plants and well behaved spring sown plants, will flower from June, and will flower well into Autumn. (We can talk about spacing and wigwams in the spring. If I tell you now you might forget.)
It is ESSENTIAL that you use the best sweet pea seeds known to modern mankind. Seeds of this calibre are pretty much only found at Higgledy Garden. :) We have some discounted bundles too. Our selection is smaller than many other suppliers, this is because we only chose the finest varieties, and pick the creme de la creme of the seed stock.
Most folk sow their sweet peas in March and April but it’s also possible to sow them from late October onwards. The advantage being that the sweet pea roots have another six months of wriggling about before the spring, which results in bigger plants with more flowers. At the Higgledy Garden I like to make both an autumn and a spring sowing. The spring sown flowers will flower later in the season.