Growing Sweet Peas - Page 11

David i noticed you said to plant them out in a few weeks time. What sort of date do you normally put them out I live in the north east and was thinking end of april.

Good question, cairnsie.

First of all we must remember that they are very hardy, so cold weather isn't going to bother them if they have been raised in a clodframe or similar. But of course it would be sensible to let them get established before the onset of any cold-snap......so choose an open spell of weather.

I will mention here, that although I've never lost SPs through frost, I have in cold biting winds....and as it happens, that's just what we're getting locally at the mo.

So I would suggest keeping an eye on the weather.

Thanks for the quick replys thats great ill keep check on here for when other people are planting theres. I have also bought a sweet pea planter from morrisons the dwarf kind that goes into hanging baskets etc. When should I sow them?

I Wish I had found this site earlier it beats most advice i can find anywhere.

" I have also bought a sweet pea planter from morrisons the dwarf kind that goes into hanging baskets etc. When should I sow them?"

I always think they are best sown in situ about mid-March.

HI David ,should i water them while they are in the cold frame?They look a little dry. Ta Deb

debra kazalski wrote (see)

HI David ,should i water them while they are in the cold frame?They look a little dry. Ta Deb

Yes, Debra....not too much and as I've said previously not during hard frosts.

Thank you David ,. I watered them and it has been very cold here at night They are doing great I never thought a plant could take the cold weather like sweet peas do. I placed a red giant mustard plant in the cold frame also, it seems to have more tender leaves and wilts when its too cold ,I could  then cover it with a blanket as not to get too much of a deep freeze. Ta Deb

Thanks for the excellent advice as always

Bunnysplanet wrote (see)

I usually start mine later but planning to start this weekend/next week . I would have thought best in the house to start as very cold very still , I am surprised at how hardy these sweet pea seedlings are sounding .

Remember, they will not stand the cold biting east winds we're getting in the UK at present.

Hi, my s/p's are coming along quite nicely now in the greenhouse. I've nipped them out to about two leaves. Should I grow them on a bit longer before planting outside? They still look a bit wee to face the elements (we are sheltered here from North and easterly winds).

Also do you recommend using an enricher such as 6x (concentrated manure) when they go outside?

Finally, I'm hoping to grow these for table decorations at my daughters wedding at the end of August. Are there likely to still be lots of blooms then? the garden will be looking like a sweet pea factory at the rate I'm sowing

Thanks for any advice folks,

Carly

Hi again, Carly

Actually I recommended 6X as a substitute for farmyard manure, but this was in respect of preparing the growing site in the autumn.

Prior to planting out at this time, I would just use good compost (preferably homemade) to prepare your beds, with the addition of bonemeal....when they start flowering, feed with a high potash feed.

Depending where you live we can start planting them out anytime now. Just keep an eye on the weather forecast and try to plant them out when we have a few frost-free nights....this is to enable to recover from the transplant before having to face cold weather again.

Btw, remember what I said earlier, they really don't like cold icy winds.

Glad you mentioned your daughters wedding. I'ts quite likely these autumn sown plants will have finished flowering by then (certainly past their best) But all is not lost, just sow some seed in situ now...these should be at their peak by late August and last through until the first frosts.

Thanks David for your helpful advice.

The ones I have in the greenhouse are mid Jan sowings so hopefully they'll not be too bad come August. As you advised I will plant some direct as well as extra insurance otherwise we'll be off to the florist come August!  I've also ordered some of the 'freebies' plugs on offer in this months Gardeners World mag and have the nippings that I potted up looking quite healthy ...as I said,sweet pea factory there'll be room for little else. Only two more daughters to go after this one....

Thanks again ,

Carly

You're welcome, Carly.

Since I posted my last reply, I've taken a peek  at your profile (I'm lusting after your greenhouse) it seems we both live in the same county, so i'll take that into account.

Most probably your Jan sowings will be still flowering for the big day, but I would hedge my bets if I were you.

Now did someone mention a big match about to kick-off??????

I've set some away today David and put them in the gh outside that has a fleece cover,  I thought I had some seed to do an Autumn sow which I did in 2011 but because I fractured my ankle in the December of that year they didnt get looked after and I couldnt get to them because of the pot so the seedlings died and I couldnt get to the shops to get fresh seed for last Autumn (actually I forgot about them) so only got the seeds on Saturday,  anyway,   they will be OK won't they David I know they are hardy things but there's going to be such a change of night time temperatures over the next week with hard frost or mild .

Sorry to hear about your accident, Rain, hope your fully recovered now.

I'm sure you seeds will be fine.

I am thanks David but the ankle does twinge when it's cold,  just as long as I can potter about the garden planting things I'm OK ,  got new trellis for them to climb up so roll on growing.

David K wrote (see)

You're welcome, Carly.

Since I posted my last reply, I've taken a peek  at your profile (I'm lusting after your greenhouse) it seems we both live in the same county

I bought the greenhouse from the Greenhouse People in your neck of the woods. It was an ex display, one off model and a real bargain. I haven't stopped smiling since  and can be heard repeatedly chunnering 'I love my greenhouse' as I potter around the garden. Just hope it's the real thing and not a short lived infatuation!

Carly

David I know you spoke about preparing soil earlier, I'm presently just container-gardening (built a new house and it will take a couple of years to get the garden going ) so I wonder how to prepare the soil for growing SPs in containers? Got regular compost from garden centre, also bought manure from garden centre last year and still have some left over, should I add some manure to the soil in the container before planting?