Question

Hi again Lily. I take it that the important bit of your question is the sweet peas not the 'Mistress Mary' bit because I have already admitted to not being Alan Titchmarsh and am starting to get a complex.

I start mine off any time from about now in ordinary potting compost in empty toilet rolls. 8cm pots are fine but if you use toilet rolls they aren't disturbed when you plant them out. You just put the entire kit in the ground. I start them in a cold greenhouse (they are very hardy) and I pop them in their final position near a wire fence at the end of March, beginning of April. They will even take a light frost. If you haven't got the fence then just put some wires up for them to climb. Easy.

John

I believe the Toilet roll trick, was actually one of Alan Titchmarsh's, John! lol. Lilycoton, i would say wait a while, John is a bit of an optimist, lol you may get away with it this time of year, but to be honest you will proberly find nothing much will happen until early spring anyway. He is quite right they are fairly hardy, but i would say the best bet is to either sow Autumn so they are up in time for winter, they can then be overwintered in a cold frame or cold greenhouse quite effectively, i have some doing quite nicely in mine that i sowed during September, this is the best way to get an early start on them. Or start them off in March in the way in which John has saggested, then plant out, April/May. alternatively you can just sow direct April May time. another little tip that helps with germination is to soak them in luke warm water over night before you sow, this will make them swell up and ready for germination, when i have done this i have had them coming up within the space of 10 days.

Yeah Maj. Titchmarsh pinched it off my late dad who was using it as soon as proper loo rolls appeared just after WW2. Lol. Boy that man gets his oar in everywhere. (And his loo rolls. Lol)

LOL - Yeah ok John! - sure you did'nt just see it on the telly? lol

You are right Maj. Nobody gardened until the blessed Alan invented everything and put it on the telly. Praise be to Titchmarsh! Lol.