Author Topic: Help me get some Sweet Peas please!!! (Read 3091 times)

David P · « **on:** January 10, 2008, 00:19:39 »

hello all again,

For the past couple of years now I have failed to grow some sweet peas up my allotment and in my back garden.... they only get to about 4 inches tall

Can anyone come up with any tips or advise on how to have a good year with them.

Thanks

Eristic · « **Reply #1 on:** January 10, 2008, 00:37:29 »

Stamp on all the slugs.

saddad · « **Reply #2 on:** January 10, 2008, 00:41:16 »

Good Point!
;D

Busby · « **Reply #3 on:** January 10, 2008, 06:17:03 »

I'll join you David P in your request for help. Although I've been gardening for 35 years I have yet to grow a decent looking sweet pea - my neighbours have no difficulty. Has nothing to do with slugs either.

Advice please.

flowerofshona2007 · « **Reply #4 on:** January 10, 2008, 06:29:34 »

Sweet peas need very deep dug ground and they are VERY greedy ! make sure there is plenty of food in the soil, i add either blood/fish/bone or Vitax Q4 before i plant and remember to feed them during the summer, they also like plenty to drink.
Sow now-Feb and pinch out after 2-3 sets of leaves and if you want the big show flowers you will need to remove the tendrils and tie them in and this gives more energy to the flowers :)
Pick as many as you can and dead head and you should have wonderful sweetpeas ;D

cambourne7 · « **Reply #5 on:** January 10, 2008, 06:53:00 »

I 2 have had problems growing sweetpeas, this year i have forked out some money in the sales before christmas on some Jiffy Trays And Pellets i can only fit 8 at a time but i think that should be plenty :)

I am going to plant these up with some sweetpeas ( Jet Set & Alan Titchmarsh).

When they take off and are big enough i will transfer to a toilet roll with tea bag at the bottom this should allow me to just pop the pellet straight in and allow more room for the roots to grow.

manicscousers · « **Reply #6 on:** January 10, 2008, 09:11:29 »

I started mine in rootrainers and am doing some more on saturday..
this gives them a brilliant root system and then they are planted into either the ground or large black buckets, 3 lots with canes tied to the middle..
we had wonderful flowers last year, so, providing the slugs leave them alone, I hope we will get more this year ;D

paulinems · « **Reply #7 on:** January 10, 2008, 09:59:14 »

i grew mine early done them last year they are getting big now do i put them outside yet or put them in bigger pots as they are in the small pots and i think they are starting to grow roots out of botton
Pauline
ps i had to cover them because the mice loved them
allso we had some garden peas in a bag that one of the farmers gave us a rat made a hole in the bag also a compost bag ate them and we found it dead outside pollytunnel these peas had a pink coating on them was told whould have been poison for it hubby still shot it incase it wasnt dead ,it was horrid!

BAZ · « **Reply #8 on:** January 11, 2008, 16:17:17 »

Hi all

I haven't grown S/P's for a few seasons (crazy, I know, sadly true), but thats going to change this year. S/P's are hardy, but its to early I would say to put out. In the past I have grown them in Tubs, that were no deeper than 12". You do need to support and feed them well. I used Tomato feed.

Hope this helps

Baz :)

springbok · « **Reply #9 on:** January 12, 2008, 10:32:27 »

I started sweetpea seeds off in trays in september. Pinched out the middles and they now potted in small pots.
They have been in the coldframe the whole time (I put a layer of polystyrene underneath them) and so far are doing really well.
Hopefully I will have a good lot to plant out this year. I too put them in big pots on my patio with canes.

manicscousers · « **Reply #10 on:** January 12, 2008, 14:54:59 »

just started 3 more packs of sweet peas for the plant sale and the rest of the swapsies from this site,thank you, hopefully lots of flowers this year ;D

springbok · « **Reply #11 on:** January 12, 2008, 15:52:42 »

Pottering round in the garden today I took a picture of my sweetpeas in my coldframe.

Toadspawn · « **Reply #12 on:** January 12, 2008, 22:57:06 »

Springbokgirlie
Your sweet peas look quite healthy but I would suggest that maybe they are being kept too warm because they are a bit leggy. I would pinch out the growing tips after the 2nd or 3rd pair of true leaves to encourage them to branch. They are also very hardy so perhaps you should leave the top off the cold frame and let them be exposed to the elements.
Mine were sown in the secod week of October in a cold GH and when they were about half an inch tall the pots were embedded in peat in the cold frame. They have been there ever since without any cover and are about half the size of yours. They will be planted in the garden in March/April.

To answer the original question it is not too late to sow sweet peas now or in April. If sown now they are better sown in deep pots/root trainers in the GH and then put outside to keep cool after the seedlings have germinated because the plants develop slowly and are short and healthy before they are planted out in April. Alternatively they can be sown directly where they are to flower in April/May when the soil has warmed up.

springbok · « **Reply #13 on:** January 26, 2008, 16:59:34 »

Taking Toadspawns advice above, today my Sweet Peas are looking much better :) Took them out the cold frame today and put them in the sunshine (was warm here today)
Here is an updated picture :D

Norfolk n Proud · « **Reply #14 on:** January 27, 2008, 18:05:13 »

Hi guys, i planted some more sweet peas, a week ago in discarded loo roll holders, much cheaper than root trainers, and bio-degradeable! i believe this will get the same effect of getting a long and strong root system, and i also water straight into the gravel try , that they sit in, to hopefully encourage the roots to delve deeper. I've no idea if it'll be sucessful, but it's worth a shot!! :) :) :)

Emagggie · « **Reply #15 on:** January 27, 2008, 18:27:09 »

Last year I grew mine in toilet rolls which eventually went black and sooty looking but the plants were o.k. I did find that the rolls didn't disintegrate very quickly after planting, and so the roots couldn't spread out. (maybe they don't have to but it's worth a thought) I split the loo rolls when I planted the second batch. Brilliant flowers at home and on the plot.

GrannieAnnie · « **Reply #16 on:** January 27, 2008, 23:50:19 »

So much good advice on this forum. i really appreciate it. Though now you've
got me salivating for sweet peas which have never succeeded before. Think
I'll give them a whirl again in pots this time.

kenkew · « **Reply #17 on:** January 28, 2008, 13:41:04 »

They must have a good root system before planting out. Loo rolls are a fair option as there's no need to transplant thus no root distubance. The longer (not wider) the root the better.
I do mine in longer than norm paper pots made using a piece of plastic pipe.
At planting time, just press a few holes in the sides.
For the best ever sweetpeas, bury all but the tip. As the plant grows, bury all but the tip. Keep doing that until you have a root of about 2' long. Then train up the fence or such. Not very practical as it uses a lot of space, but the flowers are something else.
As has already been mentioned, pick them daily and cut off lower tendrils. Don't let them run to seed unless you want to save some for next year, and then only towards the end of the season.
I'll put paper pot pic's back on in the 'Top Tips' section.
Ken.

laurieuk · « **Reply #18 on:** January 29, 2008, 13:53:26 »

If the weather holds good I hope to plant my sweetpeas this week, they will go under fleece for a while to harden off.We picked our first bunch last year on May 1st and still was able to have flowers for our sons wedding on August 10th. I always sow on October 8th.I used to show but longer do since having major heart surgery.Due to the warm weather the plants are a bit more leggy than usual but I think they will be OK.

springbok · « **Reply #19 on:** January 29, 2008, 23:24:25 »

Ok, where am I going wrong, why dont mine look that good LOL.
:D

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Author Topic: Help me get some Sweet Peas please!!! (Read 3091 times)