You can sow sweet peas either in autumn or spring, using pots or sowing directly into the ground, with seed preparation crucial for successful germination.
Autumn Sowing
- When: Sow sweet peas in autumn (typically September to November) for earlier blooms the following year.
- How:
- Pots: Sow into individual small pots (approximately 3 inches) filled with seed compost.
- Seeds: Sow 2-3 seeds per pot, about 1 inch deep.
- Location: Overwinter the young plants in a cold frame or cool greenhouse to protect them from harsh weather.
- Preparation: Prior to sowing, you can soak the seeds to encourage early germination. To do this, leave seeds on moist kitchen roll until they swell or sprout.
Spring Sowing
- When: Sow sweet peas in spring (typically February to April) for later blooms.
- How:
- Pots: Sow indoors in pots as described above for autumn sowing. This gives them a head start.
- Direct Sowing: Once the risk of frost has passed, you can sow directly into the ground. Prepare the soil well by digging in compost or well-rotted manure.
- Seeds: Sow seeds about 1 inch deep and 2-3 inches apart.
- Preparation: As with autumn sowing, soaking the seeds beforehand can improve germination rates.
- Support: Provide support such as netting or canes for the sweet peas to climb.
General Sowing Tips for Sweet Peas
- Seed Preparation: Soaking sweet pea seeds is generally recommended, especially for those with hard seed coats. Lightly chipping the seed coat (scarification) can also help.
- Compost: Use a good quality seed compost or multi-purpose compost.
- Watering: Keep the compost moist, but not waterlogged.
- Hardening Off: Before planting out seedlings grown indoors, gradually acclimatize them to outdoor conditions (hardening off).
- Pinching Out: Once the young plants have several sets of leaves, pinch out the growing tip to encourage bushier growth.
