starting sweetpeas now?

[lyndap]

Is anyone doing this now.Have heard best to start soon,and will get better growth! Back of packets say later on in year Have heard mr T saying to pinch out when certain height to get better growth,and have seen on vine before about doing this,but not sure when....help

[nick the grief]

Soak them overnight & then sow them tomorrow Lyndap. You can sow them now but most of the serious show men sow them in the autumn.

WHen they get 4 pairs of leaves pinch the tops out & they will grow strong & bushy......... Unless you had the same a snadger

[Benacre]

Yes I am growing sweet peas this year and have sown mine in a seed tray.

I love the strong scented ones.

Did not know about pinching the tips out though, sounds like a good way of getting strong plants.
Benacre

[Bex]

Soaked mine last night and put in pots today in the propagator. Mine does say on the pack January so January it is. Will Sweetpeas be ok climbing pea and bean net?

[Benacre]

Oh Yes no problem they have little tendrils and would love to get hold of the netting. Try growing Climbing Nasturshams alongside

[Snadger]

...................... Unless you had the same a snadger

8'0" high and wind battered but still pegging along!!....... Sweatpeas that is! !

[nick the grief]

Any flowers yet

[pigletwillie]

Not Red and White ones Snadger??

[Snadger]

Not Red and White ones Snadger??

You know what I've had for supper?? A lovely PORK CHOP!!!

[rustylady]

I'm going to sow my sweet peas this week. I've just found two packets of seed in my organizer tray (set up by daughter, would be really good if I remembered to look in it). Good job I didn't buy the seeds I saw in the local shop on Friday, or I would have had 3 packets to sow!!

I have tried sowing in Autumn, but the results have been no better than spring sowings. I do pinch out the leading shoot though, this really does seem to make stronger, bushier plants. Don't forget to cut all flowers before they set seed though, or they will stop flowering.

[nick the grief]

If you have aparticular colour that you likem tie a bit of wool around the stem & let them go to seed. Sweet peas are self pollenating ( before the flower is fully open) so you can save your own mix if you want.

[greenlung]

Hi - a newbie here. I sowed sweet peas in a conservatory in the autumn and pinched out most of the tips, but they're very leggy and getting tangled. Are they hardy enough to go outside at this time of year ? (Some self seeded outside last year and have lasted so far)

[nick the grief]

Hi Greenlung,

Welcome to the vine.

You will need to harden them off as they are used to the higher temerature iof the conservatory. Put them out during the day and then bring them in at night for a couple of weeks and then you could try them at night with fleece over them and they should be OK.

[violababe]

Is anyone doing this now.Have heard best to start soon,and will get better growth! Back of packets say later on in year Have heard mr T saying to pinch out when certain height to get better growth,and have seen on vine before about doing this,but not sure when....help

I sowed my sweet peas about a month ago in bio-degradeable tall pots. I sowed some 'Cupani' seeds that I harvested from my own flowers last year and they started to germinate in a cold greenhouse a couple of weeks later. Amazing!
But I sowed last year's sweet peas in March 2006. The plants were eventually fab but at first they were a bit leggy growing in the heat of the house. I had to pinch quite a lot from them. So maybe they will do better having sowed them now and keeping them out in the cold.
OH, and by the way, I have never soaked sweet pea seeds before sowing and they have germinated fine.

[vicki lorraine]

Hi everyone, i want to grow my sweet peas up the poles with my runner beans. Would i sow them now or wait until i sow my runner beans?