Sweet peas

[Good Gourd2]

Don`t ask me why but I set my sweet pea seeds really early on the conservatory window sil, now they are nearly 6ins tall, I`ve put them into the greenhouse (unheated just loads of bubble wrap and covered at night with fleece) will they survive what can I do to help them. After all they did not ask to come into this world so early did they? 

[Good Gourd2]

[paddy]

Have you pinched the tops out of them to get bushy plants and more flowers?

[Larkspur]

Pinch the tops out and put them in the greenhouse. They are as hard as nails and don't need any pampering at all. :)

[Tee Gee]

I'm with Larkspur 100%

When you consider that sweetpeas can be sown in a coldframe in Oct/Nov they must be very hardy.

I sowed mine on the 26th Feb under heat to push them on quickly they are now out doors in the coldframe, the ones sown at the end of September have been in the cold frame all winter and have been outdoors in a protected spot for the last two weeks ( I needed the coldframe space)

Whilst I am on about Sweet peas can anyone answer this one;

The experts say pinch out at 6" tall or after 4 pairs of leaves to form a bushy plant.

Then they go onto say grow them 'one up'in cordons! i.e. one to a cane?? the mind boggles.

Personally I think they are confusing bush varieties with cordon varieties!!

I know an expert who grows his along the ground to get longer stemmed flowers and I see his logic the flowers are not hindered by stems,canes, tendrils and just grow vertical.

I would follow this if I had the space.

Plus I remove the tendrils as the plants grow and 'tie in' this I find allows itself to devote all its reserves to flower production.

Just another tip; Never let the plants go to seed even if it means cutting flowers and composting them, because once they set seed that is the end of the season for that plant/s

Whats your view folks?

[Mrs Ava]

I try to remove the tendrils as they grab the flower stems and end up pulling them down, but can never keep up.  I do however agree whole heartedly about dead heading, even when there are still a few blooms left on the stem.  I didn't on some one year, and I couldn't believe how much quicker they went over compared to the ones I pampered. 

[paddy]

Taking all the flowers off is essential to keep production in full swing. Does anybody else suffer with pollen beetle?  I stand my vases  near an open window and most of them seem to fly away, but they are very annoying.

[OliveOil]

Apparently our allotments are terrible for the pollen beetle, but one person managed ok last year so fingers crossed for mine too as i have hundreds of the thinks to plant out. LOL