sweet peas

[David P]

Hello all!!

Just a quick one... when is the earliest that you would start sowing sweet peas...?

[David P]

[Aden Roller]

You can sow now. I put some in a couple of weeks ago and they are up.

Started off in a warm unheated greenhouse in cells and pots. The window is now left open and soon they will go out into a cold-frame.

Go for it.  ;)

[brown thumb]

can they be over wintered in a cold green house as i have no cold frame at the mo thanks to mr wind a few weeks ago

[Aden Roller]

can they be over wintered in a cold green house as i have no cold frame at the mo thanks to mr wind a few weeks ago

I was talking to my father about over-wintering them today. (He's 96 and has tons of experience.  ;))
Says he can't remember.  ::) Fat lot of help.  ;D

I'm pretty sure he used to plonk some of his out into their growing positions and shelter them from the worst of the weather with a few old pains of glass and a light sprinkle of slug bait just in case!!! (Note we're in the soft south!!)

If your greenhouse is kept on the cool to cold side they should be fine. Too much warmth and they will grow too tall, "soft" and spindly. If you can make sure the door and windows are open when ever the sun starts to warm the place up you should be OK. Plonk them outside on very warm days.

I'm hedging my bets. Some are going out into the big wide world just as soon as they are hardened off (leaving the greenhouse wide open day and night as well as putting them out in the day when it's mild). Some are going into the cold-frame as a back up - you never know what the winter will bring.

Good luck!

[brown thumb]

i shell try half in the greenhouse and half save back for a spring sowing and compare  the growing

[Aden Roller]

Sounds a good idea.

I usually sow in the spring but had lots of wasted seed last Spring so gave Autumn sowing a go.

Nearly 100% success with saved seed.  :)

[grawrc]

I don't have even a cold greenhouse at the moment, although I hope to have one by the start of next season, and my cold frame got trashed by the recent gales.

Last year, in October, I sowed sweet peas in the utility room and moved them outdoors as soon as the seed germinated. I had lots of lovely bushy little plants until the snow came and buried them all, so I had to start all over again.

This year I'm going to wait till after the worst of winter. I think the weather here in Edinburgh is just too dodgy.

[laurieuk]

For the past 25 years I have sown on October 8th after the sweetpea society did a survey on dates in different areas. I am in kent and that date suits well. I now have no greenhouse and germinated them in a  plastic shelter. 100 0/0  germination and will now single them into 3 inch pots and grow them outside with fleece Handy in case of servere weather. They are perfectly hardy provided the roots do not freeze, I have had plants grow where seed has fallen from a previous year. You can see somee on my website.

[Aden Roller]

For the past 25 years I have sown on October 8th after the sweetpea society did a survey on dates in different areas. I am in kent and that date suits well. I now have no greenhouse and germinated them in a  plastic shelter. 100 0/0  germination and will now single them into 3 inch pots and grow them outside with fleece Handy in case of servere weather. They are perfectly hardy provided the roots do not freeze, I have had plants grow where seed has fallen from a previous year. You can see somee on my website.

I think potting them on probably needs to be my next free-time job when it rains and I can't do anything outside.

Do you ever plant them out into the garden before winter?

[laurieuk]

I expect this year I will plant fairly soon but with fleece, as I now have no other protection or place to grow them. Hoping to have them for the July shows.

[Aden Roller]

I expect this year I will plant fairly soon but with fleece, as I now have no other protection or place to grow them. Hoping to have them for the July shows.

If you are putting some out into the ground I think I'll have a go with some of mine. I have a 6' length of corrugated plastic sheeting so I'll put that over them and see how it goes.

I'm pretty sure mine wont be going into any shows though - just picked for the house.  ;)

Good luck with yours.

[laurieuk]

Thanks for your best wishes, I will only cover mine in severe weather as they need to be grown hard. All I am looking for is a good root system rather than top growth.

[Aden Roller]

Thanks for your best wishes, I will only cover mine in severe weather as they need to be grown hard. All I am looking for is a good root system rather than top growth.

That's a good tip - thanks for the reminder!  :)

Dark green, strong stemmed squat little plants.... I remember my dad's when he was chief gardener before the Learner took over.  ::)  ;)