Sweet Pea Time

Hi Buzzbee there is nothing like it to see the seeds you have sown germinate Ilove sowing seeds as well

Wow those seeds are doing really well Buzzbee :)

I'm soaking Sweet peas tonight as well, also Ipomoea. I did grow some Sweet peas from seed in the Autumn in newspaper pots (!) in the greenhouse, they are reall ready to go in the garden but my husband has been making me an obelisk and it's not finished! Help! I am going to use cardboard tubes for the next batch. This is an experiment to see which works best.

It must be that time of year again. I soaked sweet peas last night and sowed today. It was all seed collected from last years plants, which is a first time experiment for me. The seeds I had before were bought in UK. Here in Hungary they don't know what sweet peas are, so I coudn't buy any fresh seed here. I know I could have received seeds by post, but I decided not to bother and see whether my own seed would survive. If they do well you might see pics later.

I grew Ipomoea last year, and they flowered! Only the most common one, this year I have seeds saved from them, and also a new packet of a stripy purple/white one!

I also sow my sweet peas, like Spritz, in October, I really find it gets them off to a good start and gives me strong plants for the Spring. Last year I grew a variety called `Cupanni`, they were very fragrant, I collected the seed and have some ready to plant out quite soon. I have also grown varieties called `Heirloom` and `Elegant ladies`. I grow mine in home-made paper pots, they seem to do really well.
We all must remember to post pictures of our sweet peas as they grow this year!
I am going to try Ipomea for the first time, is the common name `Spanish flag`? When I was on holiday in kent last year we stayed in a lovely B&B with a fantastic garden and the chap who owned it gave me some seed from his plant, I really hope it will germinate!

I have never tried to grow sweet peas, but I love the colors .It seems to me that they are climbers and need string to support them , am I right? Do they need full sun ? I take it now is the time to start sowing seeds. Could you put them in egg cartons?

The dark colors on the Swet Peas sound great. I have two clumps of Sweet Peas. The color is " White Pearl " . I bought them potted up from a nursery four years ago. The first year they did really well, grew very tall and had a lot of blooms. They have never done as well since. They look great but not as good as they did the first year. Any suggestions as to what I can do to give them a boost.

Hi Nancy, they have tendrils that will help them cling to their supports but they tend to be weak and so they will also need some tying in as well. They do best in full sun, but I also grow them in shadier parts of the garden. I still feel the way to get really strong plants is to sow your seeds in October to plant out in the following spring, they will grow well over winter in an unheated greenhouse or even outside in a cold frame as long as they are well protected against the frost. But you can sow them now, they are quick growers and should give you a nice display this summer. When you plant them out remember to dig in plenty of compost or well rotted manure and they like plenty of water, oh and don`t forget to regularly dehead them, although this can be a chore it does prolong the flowering period. Good Luck!

Mike... I am guessing that the sweet peas you have are the perennial kind? Otherwise they will need growing from seed each year as new plants. They would benefit from a really good feed and well rotted manure digging into the soil and they like plenty of water.

I make newspaper pots, too. I can't remember where I heard about them but they are free and great for not disturbing the roots, aren't they!

i got sweet peas from local school this year dident do verry well going to sow some in toilet roll holder &some in news paper pots just to see what gives best result will post result next year

It did for me, too. Mine have just finished and I'm clearing away the top growth as it looks a bit messy. I'm not saving seeds this year, I've bought some new colours to try - all meant to be very fragrant.

The stripy ones were absolutely hopeless. Not a single flower! They germinated badly, too. The usual ones got eaten by my friends the snails again, but I did get some flowers and one plant is still flowering now! Much worse than last year, though.

My plastic bottle trick might have to be extended to Ipomoeas as well as Clematis next year! I'll have to start collecting them and think of ways to disguise them, too!!!!