Sweet Peas - Sowing Seeds Directly into
the Garden
Technique Tips with Photos
In mild
winter climates, where the ground does not freeze, sweet
pea seeds should be fall-sown directly into the garden
from September through November to grow strong root
systems and then bloom in spring. If you do not get your
seeds planted in fall, plant as early as possible in the
spring in a well drained spot that offers some afternoon
shade.
In cold winter areas. Wait until the harshest weather has
past and sow about a month before the last frost date . If
spring turns hot and humid early in your area, mulch
seedlings well and plant where vines will get some
afternoon shade.
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Click Here to view our complete
selection of Sweet Peas
1 You
may choose to “nick” your sweet pea seeds before planting.
Nicking the seed with a nail clipper breaks the outer coat of
the seed so it can absorb water immediately. By doing this a
larger percentage of your seeds will germinate and they will
sprout a few days earlier.
Here’s how: Hold a seed between your thumb and forefinger. With
the other hand, hold the clippers at an angle so that you use
one end of the blade, then clip your seed. Your goal is to make
a slice through the brown top coat of the seed, not to take a
chunk out. Sometimes you can barely see the nick you made and
sometimes a piece of the seed coat cracks off and you see the
lighter colored inner seed. Both are correct!
2
Sweet peas need
well-drained, fertile soil, so before planting add some
aged manure or other finished compost into your garden
bed, work it into the soil, and rake the bed to create a
fairly level surface. With a tool or stick, make a
furrow. It is important to bury your seeds at the proper
depth, which is 1“ for sweet peas, so make sure your
furrow is 1” deep.
3
To sow your seeds, drop them into your furrow 2-3 inches
apart. By sowing your sweet peas at this spacing, you
are more likely to get a full bed of plants without
gaps. Later, after your seeds have sprouted, you will
thin them to their final spacing.
4
After
sowing, cover your seeds by pulling soil over your furrow.
Remember that you want your seeds to be 1” deep, so move just
enough soil to fill in your trench without creating a mound over
the seeds.
5 Gently
water your covered seeds. Use a watering can or hose
with an attachment that diffuses the water so that it
sprinkles like a gentle rain--this will prevent the
water from washing away the soil.
Tall sweet peas need a well-anchored support to climb
up. Erect one now so that it will be in place as soon as
your seedlings are ready to start climbing.
6 It is critical to protect your sweet pea seedlings
from birds, snails and slugs. This should be done right
after sowing your seed, otherwise these common predators
may find your sprouts and eat them before you even know
they are up!
For birds, use netting. We make our own support hoops
from flexible, black plastic irrigation tubing, commonly
called polytube, and available at most garden centers.
Cut it in lengths appropriate for the width of your
garden beds. Push the ends of the cut tubing into the
soil to form arches over your sweet pea bed. Drape the
bird netting over these arches and secure all edges,
making sure there are no openings. Remove the netting
before your sweet peas get tall enough to attach
themselves to it.
For snails and slugs, we like the product Sluggo because
it is non-toxic to humans, pets and wildlife.
7 When
your seedlings have 3-4 pairs of leaves, you can pinch
or cut off the top of the seedling, leaving 2-3 pairs of
leaves. You should make your cut just above a pair of
leaves. Pinching gives you a fuller plant by promoting
lateral branching.
This is also the time to thin your sweet peas to their
final spacing of 5”-6” apart. Many gardeners find the
task of pulling out extra plants difficult after having
nurtured them to this point, but proper spacing between
plants is critical for the health of your mature sweet
peas. It improves air circulation to help prevent
disease and gives the roots of individual plants enough
space to forage for water and nutrients.
As your plants get taller and start to climb, you may
want to help wayward branches find their vertical
support system. Gently coax them onto your
support--sweet pea branches snap easily.
8
All of the varieties at Renee’s Garden are grown and
evaluated in our test gardens. When we evaluate sweet
peas we look at a variety of things—flower color, scent,
and form; plant vigor and disease resistance; and seed
quality.
9
To keep your sweet pea plants blooming as long as
possible, we recommend “deadheading”. This means cutting
off spent flowers before they have a chance to divert
energy towards making seeds instead of more flowers. The
ideal time to deadhead is just after the bloom has
peaked and is just beginning to fade. Always cut off the
entire flower stem.
10 This plant has entirely finished blooming. As you can
see, the spent flowers form seedpods and the plants
slow down and then stop blooming altogether. Eventually, all
sweet pea plants come to the end of their flowering life whether
you deadhead or not, but you can prolong the bloom period by
cutting off spent flowers.
11 Of
course the whole point of growing sweet peas is the
flowers. Don’t forget to cut some and bring them into
the house - they make beautiful, sweetly scented
bouquets. And the more flowers you cut, the more the
plant will
produce!
12
Sweet Pea Heaven!
Renee evaluating new varieties in our Sweet Pea seed producer's growing
field.
Of
course the whole point of growing sweet peas is the
flowers. Don’t forget to cut some and bring them into
the house - they make beautiful, sweetly scented
bouquets. And the more flowers you cut, the more the
plant will
produce!
