Sweet peas grow best in healthy soil that keeps moisture but drains easily.
when to plant sweet peas
When between October and April, plant sweet pea seeds. Aim for late October or late November or late February or early March for the best outcomes because midwinter temperatures and light conditions aren’t the optimum. In April or May, sweet peas can also be planted directly into the ground. During a moderate period between March and May, sow your sweet pea seeds and plants.
How should sweet peas be planted in the fall?
The act of sowing itself is simple. One seed should be planted in each 7 cm (3 in) or 15 cm (6 in) container of high-quality compost. Put the pots inside a cold frame or greenhouse to safeguard seeds sowed in the fall. Newspaper should be placed over the containers until the seedlings appear.
Do sweet peas allow winter sowing?
I adore annual sweet peas and believe that they are the most alluring and unforgettable garden flowers because of their beautiful scent, ruffled, winged blossoms, and treasure trove of radiant hues. These fluted beauties are excellent for cutting, and a tiny bouquet of them will fill a room with a mouthwatering aroma that makes me think of orange blossoms and honey. Sweet peas’ delicate, alluring scent is one of nature’s best-kept secrets; it has never been artificially imitated and is never overbearing or cloying.
There are now a large number of options available in a wide range of colors, from the most delicate sweet pastels to rich, vivid deep hues, including stripes and bicolors. You have a choice of classic, tall, quickly-growing vining sweet peas, non-climbing, dwarf kinds for beds and borders, and variants that cascade 8 to 10 inches in containers. All will beautify and fill the garden with a divine aroma in the spring and summer.
Sweet pea horticulture has a lengthy and fascinating history. On an island off the coast of Sicily in 1699, Father Cupani, a botanizing monk, was the first to gather sweet peas in the wild. Eckford, an Englishman, started hybridizing and selecting sweet peas in the 19th century, bringing in larger varieties in a wider spectrum of hues. These “grandifloras,” which are now referred to as “old-fashioned” or “heirloom,” were highly praised as cut flowers.
In this time, cultivars that were more suited to American garden conditions were created by American seed producers who were growing sweet pea seeds for export to the English market and for American seed catalogs. The coastal region near Lompoc, California, which is chilly, moderate, and windy, is perfect for growing sweet peas because the climate prevents the usual bee visitors from visiting the blooms, preventing cross-pollination and allowing for the preservation of exceptionally pure seed strains. Today, that region, together with England, New Zealand, and Tasmania, continue to supply a large portion of the world’s sweet pea seed.
You will find growing sweet peas to be quite gratifying if you follow the right guidelines and timing for planting. Sadly, sweet peas have a reputation for being challenging to produce, especially in the Midwest and Southeast. However, after speaking with successful sweet pea gardeners around the nation for many years, I am confident that sweet peas can thrive everywhere in the nation. Their beauty and smell are definitely worth the effort even in the rare places where they are more difficult to grow. Knowing when to plant the seeds and how to take care of sweet peas effectively are crucial.
When To Plant Sweet Pea Seeds
Sweet peas can be planted in the fall and again in the spring in regions with warm winters that experience prolonged rainy winters and cold summers, such as the Pacific Northwest. Sue, a gardener from Seattle and the creator of our website, plants seeds in April or May for “armfuls of blossoms” through September.
Plant seeds as soon as the ground is workable in rich, well-drained soil in locations with temperate winters, such as the mid-Atlantic states, which experience humid summers and early, unexpected summer heat. Don’t wait until you plant other annual flowers like sunflowers or cosmos or until the date of your last frost (sweet peas may withstand minor frosts). Your sweet peas won’t be developed enough to withstand the hot temperatures of early summer. If it doesn’t rain, make sure to water your sweet pea plants because they require constant moisture.
Nancy Hammer, a market gardener in Virginia, starts seeds indoors in jumbo packs or 4 inch pots in late March so that they can be planted outdoors as soon as they have two or three pairs of leaves. This allows her to get a head start on the season and prepare for the unpredictability of spring weather. In early to mid April, she also plants seeds straight in the ground. In this manner, she will be ready with healthy seedlings regardless of whether it is chilly and rainy well into spring or if sudden hot weather arrives.
Both Susan Keating in Maine and Jay Leshinsky in Vermont wait until the spring soil can be easily handled before planting, often in late April through mid May, in locations with extremely harsh winters like New England where the earth freezes hard and heaves. Additionally, they get a head start by starting seeds indoors a month to six weeks in advance and planting them outside as soon as the weather allows through May. In either case, keep in mind that sweet peas are unaffected by late, mild frosts. Sweet peas planted in the ground in northern regions in April and May will blossom fully in late summer and continue to do so virtually until the first frost. If the summers are particularly hot, choose a location where the vines will receive some afternoon shade and water if it doesn’t rain.
Can you grow peas in the UK in autumn?
peas between March and the beginning of July. Sow in October or the late winter for earlier crops that are ripe in May. (bear in mind you may experience losses from cold weather or mice).
Opt for a sunny, well-drained location. Before planting, amend the soil by tilling in a lot of mushroom compost, well-rotted manure, or garden compost.
Create a shallow trench that is about 22 cm broad and 3 cm deep using a hoe or spade. Peas should be sown in two parallel rows, with the seeds spaced about 10 cm apart. Put dirt over the seeds, give them plenty of water, and mark the row. Within a week or two, the seedlings should start to appear.
As an alternative, start your seedlings indoors in the fall to prevent pests from eating your seeds. Sowing into a length of guttering is a simple technique to guarantee that your row will be straight in the end.
Monty plants the historical pea variety “Blauwschokker” in containers for subsequent planting in this clip from Gardeners’ World:
How to sow pea seeds indoors
Raising plants indoors is an alternative to spreading peas outdoors. When room opens up, you may put them out right away with less chance of mice or other pests leaving holes in your rows. One of the simplest techniques is to put the seeds in a length of guttering, and once the plants are big enough, just slide the entire row into the ground.
Peas can I plant in October?
The best time to grow peas is in the fall. Pea seeds or seedlings planted in October or November will continue to grow until the days become shorter and the temperatures fall. The roots will then continue to grow underground with the help of water from rain (ideally) or your hose. You’ll notice a spurt of top growth that is supported by those established roots as the days grow longer and warmer. Typically, blossoms appear in January and ripe pods appear in February.
The problem of spring mildew in the Bay Area is another reason to plant peas in the autumn. By the time mildew takes over your plants, if you begin harvesting your peas in the early spring, you will have a respectable crop. If you plant in February or March, you will have just begun harvesting when the summer fog around the coast comes and mildew conditions are at their best.
Ornamental sweet peas can use everything mentioned above, but their harvest will only consist of bouquets of vibrant, fragrant blossoms.
Do sweet pea seeds need to be soaked before planting?
To aid in seed germination, many individuals advise soaking seeds overnight before sowing. This is due to the hard outer shell of some types. Others, though, contend that soaking might make plants weaker.
However, you might try slightly shattering the seed’s outer shell right before sowing if you’ve previously had difficulties getting the seeds to germinate.
On the side opposite the seed’s black “eye” or scar, carefully nick the shell with a sharp knife or rub it with sandpaper.
Can September be used to plant sweet pea seeds?
Anytime between early October and mid-November, when the days are long enough for a slow, gradual germination, you can sow. As soon as they are covered by about 2 cm of soil, gently press them into the moist but not wet compost.
How late can peas be planted?
When should garden peas be sown? A common adage in the gardening community is to “plant peas as soon as the ground can be worked.” Sadly, it implies mid- to late March in my garden! But our lucky neighbors in the South can frequently begin planting in January and February. See my pea planting advice wherever you live.
When to Plant Peas
Garden peas (Pisum sativum L.) are a cool-season crop that can resist minor freezes and frosts but not the heat and humidity of the summer. Therefore, as soon as the land can be handled in the winter or spring, we all sow the seeds fairly early.
Check the Planting Calendar of the Almanac, which is based on your zip code, to get a basic idea of when to plant peas.
Wherever you live, plant peas as soon as you can stick your finger into the rich, dark-brown, crumbly soil because that indicates that the soil is normally ripe for planting.
The temperature of the garden is crucial. It was 52 degrees two inches down. (My soil thermometer is fantastic!)
The first crop I grow outdoors from seed is peas, which can germinate in soil as chilly as 40 degrees. We utilize raised beds so I have never had a problem with them rotting, even in a wet year. Early planting makes for soft peas.
I always had horrible peasparse and tough because I was reared in New England under the “never plant anything before Memorial Day” guideline.
That is why it is true to say that you should plant peas “as soon as the ground can be worked.” They would be fine even if a foot of snow fell on them after planting—which it frequently did.
Poor Man’s Fertilizer
My neighbor referred to it as “poor man’s fertilizer.” Really? This bit of gardening lore has some basis in reality. As the snow melts in the sun, ammonia in the air is absorbed by the snow and breaks down, releasing a little amount of nitric acid into the soil. In the past, French peasants thought that a spring snowfall was just as good as a layer of manure. Farmers in the past went a step further and plowed a spring snowstorm under.
Peas, like all legumes, can absorb nitrogen straight from the atmosphere with the aid of soil microbes that fix nitrogen. In order to help these beneficial bacteria, try moistening the seeds and rolling them in a powdered legume inoculant before planting.
To bulk up my seeds and give them a head start on germination, I soak them overnight.
If you want sweet, soft peas, put your edible-podded or classic English shelling peas to mature before really hot weather arrives.
To get the highest flavor and sugar content, plant in full light. Once the plants are well-established, a thick layer of mulch or a hilling of the soil around the base of the plants will assist to keep the roots cool and extend the harvest.
It goes without saying that a half inch of poor man’s fertilizer dropped a few days after I planted my peas! Do you have your peas yet?
For details on planting, caring for, and harvesting peas, consult the Almanac’s Pea Growing Guide!
General instructions
These guidelines are just meant to serve as a guide; they do not promise success. All seeds are batch tested for germination, and under ideal circumstances, they will produce high germination rates.
Autumn Sown Spencer Varieties
Sow seeds in October or November for early blossoms. It is not “typically” necessary to heat seed sown at this time of year in order for it to germinate, but you should be wary of early frosts and chilly nights and heat as necessary at 10/15C Day and Night. Plant seeds in trays, pots, or grow tubes, and then grow them in a cold frame or cold greenhouse. If cultivated in a greenhouse, place the seeds as close to the apex as you can to prevent “lanky” plants, and once they have sprouted, keep them from getting too warm. (In warm weather, open the windows and doors.) Once they have dried out, they can resist light frosts.
Spring sown Spencer Varieties
In a heated greenhouse or other environment where the temperature is between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius throughout the day and night, sow from January to April. Reduce the heat to roughly 5–10C once the seeds have begun to sprout. If the weather is moderate, no heating will be needed, but there must be plenty of light to prevent plants from becoming drawn. The plants can resist light frosts once they have hardened off.
Grandiflora Varieties
Heat seeds at 10/15C day and night while sowing them from February to April. Follow the below-listed steps for sowing. Reduce the heat to roughly 5–10C once the seeds have begun to sprout. If the weather is moderate, no heating will be needed, but there must be plenty of light to prevent plants from becoming drawn. The plants can resist light frosts once they have hardened off.
Planting instructions
Avoid soaking or chitting the seed. Fill the grow tube you intend to use 3/4 of the way with all-purpose compost. For seeding, any compost will do; however, nothing too rich. To keep it light and airy, mix with grit and sharp sand or dirt that has been sieved.
Place the seed in the dry compost 3/4 inch deep. Don’t water it again until it sprouts.
Placing the compost in a chilly greenhouse or cold frame with newspaper covering it will prevent it from drying out. (If sowing beginning in November, keep the pots in a warm greenhouse (about 10 to 15 degrees Celsius) day and night until they germinate, then move them to a cold greenhouse or cold frame. Just guard against severe frosts). To prevent mice from consuming the seeds as they sprout, always use mouse traps.
Remove the newspaper as soon as you notice the first sign of germination, even if only one has appeared. This often occurs in 7 to 10 days.
Keep the plants protected from mice, slugs, torrential rain, harsh frosts, and heavy snowfalls by placing them in a cold greenhouse or cold frame. Plants that are started in this manner can tolerate frost down to 5/6 C.
To promote side shoots, when the plants have three sets of leaves visible, cut off the top of the plant above the second pair of leaves.
From February onward, plant outdoors as soon as the ground is dry enough to work on and the weather is suitable.
Growing on
Cut off flowers when the top blooms are open on plants that have begun to blossom. To encourage more flowers to grow, remove all dead ones from the plant. Cut them every two to three days and don’t let them set seed since they will stop blooming once they are set.
Remove the side branches, the tendrils, and bind the plant to get longer stems.
Maintain the soil’s moisture and fertilize it once a week with a tomato food or high-potash feed like Maxicrop.