How to start growing sweetpeas
This is sweetpeas for beginners, a quick search online will bring up a wide range of opinions and rules for sweet pea growing some of it aimed at exhibition growers.
I will just encourage you to start with a full proof method, you can then develop your own theories. You can grow sweetpeas, the fragrant flowers can fit into any situation. They mix well with shrubs, climbers and make great patio pots
Choose the correct varieties
Tall sweetpeas will grow over 1.5 metres 5 foot plus they can scramble through shrubs and climber. They also make the best cut flowers but will need to provide a sturdy frame for them to grow up.
You should choose Spencer mix, named varieties or exhibition types.
Medium-sized sweet peas about 1 metre high 3 foot are good for patio pots and adding into bedding plant displays
Dwarf types are suggested for hanging baskets and patio pots, but in our experience don’t have the vigour for patio pots or hanging baskets and need very careful watering.
Sow your own
Ignore all the soaking, chipping or nicking seed advice, thousands of kilos of seed are sown every year on commercial nurseries without any problems. The secret is warmth keep the seeds at 20 degrees (room temperature) and they will germinate quickly.
Sow the seeds in small pots 9-11cm, just push them under the compost with your finger about 1cm, water, cover with polythene then leave them alone until they germinate.
How many seeds
We aim for 5-8 per pot, I know this seems a lot, but it works, for our beginner’s patio pot project.
For cut flowers or exhibition work, you will only sow 1 or 2 my advice is only for new gardeners.
Germinating
After they germinate, this will take about 7 days at 20 degrees, cool the seedlings down. They are happy in a cold greenhouse or outside, the enemy is rain you need to stop the pots becoming too wet, so some type of rain cover is needed.
Planting your Sweetpeas
Sweetpeas can take cold weather but not very wet conditions, if you are planting into the ground I think late April and May should be okay.
Patio pots can be started earlier if you have a cold greenhouse or porch. Use any compost but add some slow-release fertiliser to keep them growing. You will need some canes to support the stems as they grow.
Sweetpeas need the sun they don’t work in the shade.
If your plants are straggly give them a quick trim about 3-4 cm above the pot about a week before you plant them.
Looking after your sweetpeas.
The stems are soft and can easily be damaged, you will need to help them grow upwards at the start, later the tendrils, the wiry stems, will grab hold.
Keep the flowers coming by removing the dead flower stems as soon as the petals drop. If you leave them they will set seed and your sweet pea will pack its bags and stop flowering.
Sometimes the buds will fail to develop or even drop, this can be
Weather conditions hot days and cool nights can cause a temporary bud drop, don’t worry they will start flowering again.
Dry roots will cause the buds and flowers to drop. If the plant wilts it may take longer to recover.
Wet weather or overwatering can cause yellow leaves at the base and flower drop, just stop watering or hope the rain stops.
Overfeeding especially high nitrogen can cause bud drop.
Checklist
- A packet of seeds (they need to be sown by June) or sweetpea plants available from March to June
- 30cm pots make sure they hold 10 or more litres of compost.
- Slow-release fertiliser not essential but it will make feeding the plant easier
- For patio pots, you will need three 1 metre canes for each plant and some string.
- In the ground for taller varieties, you will need 2-metre canes and netting for support
- Buy some tomato fertiliser when you see it on offer and a watering can to apply the feed.
