Planting sweet pea seeds

thewestfive

I have been out and bought some sweet pea seeds that are dwarf and suitable for containers.

I also bought some of those cardboardy kind of pots 3 inch ones.

I also got some seed compost. It says on the packet to either sow indoors jan - mar or outdoors april - may.

Should i be sowing these seeds in the little pots on a windowsill with a food bag (will this be ok, i haven't got any polythene) fastened over the pots?

or should i prepare the actual planter in april and put the seeds straight into the places where I want them to grow?

System

Hello,

Sweetpeas are really easy to grow and a lovely flower to enjoy.

I would soak them in water overnight and then plant them into your tubes using the seed compost. Cover them with food bags and keep them moist. After a couple of weeks you can take the bag off and then when they're about 20 cms long plant them out.

P.s Next year - don't bother buying the tubes - just save some toilet roll inners - V MSE!

sobie

With how cold it is you're still in plenty of time to plant indoors.

Don't soak the seeds before planting as this can rot them. Look for the small scar (eye) on each seed and using a sharp pruning knife chip away the coating opposite the eye side. Be really careful doing this as its really easy to slip _pale_

I wouldn't use the pots you've purchased 3" is not deep enough for sweet peas, they have deep roots, and don't like the roots to be disturbed. Use plastic re-useable root trainers or empty loo rolls instead. If you have to use the pots you've purchased take care not to let the seedlings become pot bound and try not to damage the roots, the good thing with the pots you've got is that you should disturb the seedlings too much as you can plant the whole lot out.

Plant one seed per pot, do not be tempted to put more than one seed in each pot as you'll cause un-nessicary competition between the seedlings.

Once your seeds have germinated, remove the plastic bag. Then when the seedlings have 4 sets of true leaves pinch out the tops (do not pinch out if you intend to grow as cordons for showing).

Keep them in a frost free, light place. If its too dark the seedlings will get really leggy.

Then harden them off, and happy planting!

EpsomOldie

What they ^^^^^ say!

Mine are in loo roll tubes in a big tray in the porch. They were sown on 20th Feb and have just started to poke their noses up in the last week. I didn't soak or chip (sliced a lump out of my hand previously so am very wussy now).

Now that they're up, I've removed the lid of the big tray to get some air around them - it was starting to smell a bit mushroomy.

They'll be protected from extremes of temperature while they're little, and then pinched out and hardened off before planting out much later on.

I've tried planting them out direct before and results have been very hit and miss - mostly miss. This way, I aim to have big, hard, bushy plantlets that will produce lots of beautifully-scented flowers (fingers crossed).

craigywv

i planted mine this week outside straight into the beds but i am in a walled garden very high so well sheltered

Funky_Bold_Ribena

We sowed sweet peas in a cold greenhouse about 4 weeks ago and they are up and running.

System

How exciting - I love sweet peas alone for the fact that they are something "gardeney" you can do when it's still winter.

I was reading something the other day about planting sweetpeas and runner beans together - has anyone ever done this?

sobie

PinkandPurpleGlitter wrote: »

How exciting - I love sweet peas alone for the fact that they are something "gardeney" you can do when it's still winter.

I was reading something the other day about planting sweetpeas and runner beans together - has anyone ever done this?

Be really careful if you do this not to eat the sweet pea pods :eek:

thewestfive

Thanks for all the replies.