Gardener's World - Monty's Sweet Pea Experiment

Hello - I coped Monty's Sweet Pea experiment by planting some seeds prior to Christmas to see if they prove to be better plants than those to be planted later....I forgot to note when 'later' is!  Can anybody advise?

The first batch are going strong and I have nipped the tops off so they are bushing up nicely.  The only downside is that some of the seeds didn't germinate.  Did anyone else have a go and if so how are you getting on?

Hello Tootles,

There is a long running debate on when to sow sweet peas. In fact on our very own site we suggest sowing them both before Christmas - see Sarah Raven's video:

http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/creative-projects/how-to-grow-sweet-peas/327.html

and after Christmas (Jan to May) - see the following project:

http://www.gardenersworld.com/how-to/projects/seeds-and-bulbs/how-to-sow-sweet-pea-seeds/330.html

Personally I favour after Christmas. I've had good results from spring sowings. It saves you the hassle of looking after them over winter. Giving them nice fertile soil (dig in lots of organic matter) and watering a lot both help enormously.

Also, the earlier you sow, the earlier they'll flower and ultimately die. Ideally you'd probably sow some early and some late, to have sweet peas for as long as possible.

I hope you get lots of bunches of blooms from yours,

Emma

gardenersworld.com team