Our Guide to Growing Sweet Peas
We love sweet peas as they are one of the easiest plants to grow and thrive pretty much anywhere. They have a delicious scent and come in a wide variety of colours; from the creamy Mrs Collier to the glamorous Almost Black and every shade in between, there really is something for every garden. Mixes are a great way to grow a particular colour palette, whether it's the soft pastels of the Royal Family Mix, the riot of bold colours in the Dark and Bold Collection, or a jumble of everything like the Heaven Scent Mix. And a lack of space is no problem with dwarf varieties like the Dwarf Bijou Mix adding fragrance and colour to your life. There are so many types to choose from that you really can't go wrong!
We also know that choosing your sweet peas feels like the easiest part, and it can be overwhelming trying to work out when and how to sow and plant your sweet peas, and what to do as they start to grow. That’s why we’ve put together this handy sweet pea guide to give you a helping hand!
When to Sow
Keen sweet pea growers will sow their seeds from autumn through to late winter, but don't worry if you missed the autumn! Sweet peas can be sown right through until April, and they still perform brilliantly from a spring sowing. Any seeds sown in autumn or winter should be kept in a cool spot as this will help them to build well developed roots, meaning they should grow into strong plants.
How to Sow
Sweet peas grow long tap roots that do best when they're undisturbed. Root trainers are a brilliant way to achieve a long root run, giving your sweet peas the room they need to develop long, straight roots. Fill your modules with potting compost and sow 2 seeds 2-3cm deep into each one. Gently water and keep the root trainer somewhere indoors or in a greenhouse. Some people like to soak their seeds for 24 hours before sowing as this can speed up germination, but we've found it doesn't make that much difference and germination normally takes 7-21 days. Be sure to watch out for mice as they love the munch on sweet pea seeds!
If you don't have a root trainer, you can sow your seeds into cardboard toilet roll tubes or into 9cm pots.
The most important think is to allow the roots to grow nice and long, keeping them undisturbed. Make sure you label your sweet peas so that you can identify them as they grow!
When To Plant
Keep an eye on your seedlings, and once they have developed strong roots and filled out the root trainer, you can plant them outside in a sunny spot any time between March and May. If your seedlings begin to get floppy and long (more than 10cm), you can remove the growing tips to encourage more side shoots and create a bushier plant. This is called pinching out.
How to Grow On
Once you’ve chosen where you want your sweet peas to grow, you then have to decide what sort of frame you’d like them to grow up. You could create your own structure out of twigs, which can work well for large tubs, or you could sow onto a metal frame. We recommend the Pea and Bean Frame or the Garden Maypole for no-nonsense sweet pea support. To create a larger tunnel of sweet peas or a taller frame made from bamboo or willow, you can fix Jute Netting to the poles and create a larger expanse for your flowers to spread.
Carefully remove your seedling and plant at the base of each stick or pole, making sure you don’t squash the roots! Pop a label near each one and water them regularly as they can go yellow and parched otherwise. Be sure to keep an eye on your seedlings as they grow and carefully tie them in to encourage good, strong growth. They are much trickier to pick if they get tangled up!
Picking Your Sweet Peas
One of the best things about sweet peas is the more you pick your flowers, the more they will grow. It’s really important not to let them set seed as they will stop flowering after this. Spring-planted sweet peas can keep producing flowers all the way to the end of September if you’re careful, so remembering to pick them is definitely worth it.
Harvesting Your Seeds
Around September, you can let a patch of sweet peas go to seed. They will produce little green pods and once they begin to dry and turn brown, this is when you should harvest them. Pick them into a bucket to make sure you don’t lose any seed and lay them out inside to let them dry out completely. Make sure you store your seed in labelled airtight jars, and they’ll be ready to sow again next season!
Sowing sweet peas has never been easier, so what are you waiting for? Check out our full range today!
