Growing Sweet Peas - Page 7

Starting to get a bit nippy at night now, so perhaps covering those SPs with a with fleece may be worth thinking about at temps of lower than say -5C.

Remember not to water at present. Don't be afraid if the compost is frozen solid in the pots, or even if they flop over.......they will recover as soon as they thaw-out again.

I'm pleased you have warned us that the compost can be frozen and they might flop over. If this had happened I would have composted them thinking that they were dead.

Hi ,I am on long island n.y ,I am zone7. Do you think that I can start poppys and sweet peas in toilet rolls and plant out  at the same time . I am going to start them now indoors, then around march put in a cold frame ,then into the garden as it warms up a bit.I do not know how cold tolerant they are . I have not tried these yet. They say poppys do not like rich soil, but I am not sure about this, should I put compost in the soil anyway,could it hurt.                                 Thanks Debra

Love to be able to help, Debra, but as a resident of the UK, I'm not familiar with climatic conditions in other parts of the world.

Hope you're not offended when I point out that the aim of this thread is intended for the guidance of sweet pea growing only.......I'm sure a post in the 'Plants' section is more likely to attract replies re poppies.  

How are everyone's sweet peas faring in this current cold spell. I'm only getting out to check mine at weekends but they look to be doing remarkably well, better than last year, some of the new growth/stems are beginning to thicken up. 

I planted my first lot of sweet pea seeds yesterday. I have one lot in the propagator and the others in the spare bedroom keeping the temperature above 10degC. Has anyone else out there gone for an early sowing?

I've just been reading about sweet peas, its very informative so it might be of benefit to anyone else who is a novice like me

http://www.sweetpeas.org.uk/

Hi, I am going to try my hand at sweet peas.I am going to start them in toilet rolls, under grow lights and then harden off for out doors .Does anyone know if they will grow well in a large pot with a trellis ? David you are correct ,the weather hear is slightly different ,I thought it was the same as u.k because I am on an Island and have water on both sides.Its  colder here in winter and warmer in summer .I am not offended, I love to get opinions from people who have the know how ,and hope my gardens could look as lovely and lush as those in the u.k .It is not as popular here .Thanks Debra

debra kazalski, I have just looked through my American encyclopedia of organic gardening and it doesn't give me any clues about the zones. I assume you are going to start these sweet peas off in a heated greenhouse or on a window sill indoors?

I have grown Ipomea (Morning Glory) in a large pot with trellis before, it would be interesting to try sweet peas like that; I would put lots of well rotted manure in the pot when you pot them on and keep feeding it.

Pleased to hear you weren’t offended, Debra.

Truth is that growing advice can vary quite a lot even on this tiny island of ours....depending whether or not you live in the north, south or in the middle.

Be careful not to subject those seed to too much warmth, otherwise they will grow spindly & weak.... these really are cold weather lovers.

Try to aim for about +10C day & night for germination of the seed, then as cool as you can until transplanting out...

Hi,Thanks for all your help ,will follow the advice. I have something to go by now ,knowing they like cool weather.     Debra

Its Debra I would like to know if anyone nics there seeds so they germinate faster .Thanks

Hi Debra, I've been reading up on this and the current advice seems to be to just plant them without soaking or scarifying, that's what I've done this time. I made tubes of newspaper (approx 3" diam) to sow them in as this breaks down more easily than loo rolls once they're planted out. I used a small squash bottle to wrap the newspaper round and cheat a bit by popping a staple in to hold it together.

As David K says, once germinated they should be treated mean. Last year mine were a hopeless failure because I kept them mollicoddled for far too long before putting them out in the cold frame.

Onward and upward....... Carly

Hi all, I will treat them mean,and .let you know how it goes.The sweet pea I order was royal wedding it is white , a safe color or colour as you say.They look soooooooo beautiful on the packet .I think I will try some potted in newspaper.I am starting them in an unheated garage under grow lights, then off to a cold frame in march,then into the garden as for morning glories, they grow like weeds here.          Debra

Wish my Morning Glories grew like weeds Debra. What's your secret?

This is the first time I have ever written on a blog so here goes and what better one to be writing on than one about sweet peas. I planted lots of sweet peas in August/Sept and have  pinched them out numerous times since. They have now got many  stems  and are looking very strong in my cold frame. Can't wait to see them all in flower. Am also going to plant more in Spring to get later flowers.