SWEET PEA SOWING IN LATE JANUARY/FEBRUARY

Yes, it is possible to sow sweet peas this early in the Season.  In fact, sowing them now is a sure-fire way to produce stronger plants which come into bloom earlier.  The roots have a chance to strengthen before the spurt of growth in Spring and as a result you may find your sweet peas are hardier in the long run.

However, there are a few things to remember before starting and this involves preparing the seed pods.

 Sweet peas have a hard outer shell, so the easiest way to soften it is to soak the seeds in warm water first.  I have left the pods in the water overnight and they should noticeably swell from their original state.

As we are starting off our seedings early it is essential that we keep them out of harm’s way by growing them somewhere indoors, i.e. a shed, a greenhouse, a cool windowsill or a conservatory.  

We don’t want anywhere too warm as the sweet peas could grow too leggy!    

Under no circumstances should they be left outside at this stage as the frost will kill them off altogether and we certainly don’t want that after all our hard work.
The taller the pots we start the seedings off in, the better for them as they have long roots.

So, now we have soaked our seeds and chosen our pots the following is a quick guide as to what comes next:-

1. Fill each pot with peat free seeding compost.  Sow 2. to 3 seeds in each pot, pressing down about 1-2cm.  Make sure the seeds are covered with compost and water them in using a small amount of water.
2.After approximately three weeks, you will see that the first shoots spring up out of the soil.  When there are a few matured leaves, pinch out the growing tip to encourage a bushier growth with more flowers.
3.Whilst the above processes are ongoing, please continue to keep the plants under cover.
4.When the weather finally warms up in Spring you can acclimatise the plants by leaving them outside during the day and bringing them back in at night.  Do this for about a week.
5.As soon as the last frost has been and gone it is safe to plant them outside.  Place them in the sunniest spot your garden has to offer, and they should be quite happy.  They will need some sort of tall support to climb up, and you can find an assortment of trellises, obelisks and bamboo supports at your local garden centre or online.
6.Once the flowers are all growing nicely, it is okay to cut great swathes of them to display in vases indoors.  The more you cut, the more will grow.