Sweet peas are one of the few annual flowers with enduring appeal and rural charm. They appear to be the exact opposite of our hurried life as they twine languidly around a rustic trellis. Sweet peas are fantastic flowers for gardens and bouquets thanks to their alluring scent. For information on how to plant and care for sweet peas, read our Sweet Pea Growing Guide!
About Sweet Peas
The sour pea Lathyrus odoratus is an annual flower that looks great twining on a trellis or arch, growing in a cutting garden, border garden, or woods. Today, a wide variety of hues, from pearly white to ice cream pastels to ritzy magentas and inky purples, are available for the blooms.
Only their honey and orange blossom fragrance matches their delicate winged flowers. Their appeal has been ensured by the combination of their exquisite aroma and their capacity to generate a large number of flowers for the house over an extended time of cutting.
One of the keys to cultivating sweet peas is to sow them early. Sweet peas are incredibly tough, despite the way they appear fragile. Plant them in very late winter or early spring in USDA Hardiness Zone 7 or colder, as soon as the soil is dry enough to work with. (Don’t plant seeds after the last frost.
When Dr. Robert Uvedale, a teacher from Enfield, Middlesex, received seeds of this exceedingly fragrant annual in 1699 from a Sicilian monk named Francis Cupani, he brought the first sweet peas to Britain. In North America, they gained enormous popularity as garden plants and cut flowers. By the late 1800s, producers in California, especially W. Atlee Burpee, were exporting trainloads of sweet peas across the nation and creating numerous new varieties.
Some people liken the process of producing sweet peas to that of preparing pie dough. Some individuals are gifted, while others are not. This plant sprouts from large, manageable seeds that resemble peas. They are still rather challenging since they take a while to germinate. It’s worthwhile to experiment with various seeds every year.
When to Plant Sweet Peas
- Sweet peas should be planted as soon as the soil is dry enough to work in very late winter or early spring in most places where frosts occur frequently (Zone 7 and colder). (Start sowing before the last frost! Most certainly, it will be too late.)
- Plant sweet peas in the late fall (November) if you garden in a region with a mild winter climate (Zones 8, 9, or 10), so they can grow and blossom in the late winter and early spring. Six weeks before you plant the seeds, dig a trench and fill it with compost or well-rotted manure to obtain the greatest show. Sweet peas are gregarious plants that require a lot of nutrient-rich materials to flourish.
Sowing Sweet Peas Indoors
- Start sweet peas inside in a seed tray to get a head start on the season in the coldest regions of the nation. Sweet peas can withstand light frosts, so plant out as soon as the soil can be worked in early spring, around 6 to 7 weeks before the last date for frost.
- The seeds’ outer layer is softened and helped to germinate by soaking them overnight. Using a nail file to lightly score the outer shell can also be beneficial.
- 2 seeds to a module is fine to sow the seeds, but keep in mind that their lengthy roots have a propensity to tangle and can make separation challenging. Sow the seeds around half an inch deep in each cell of a seed tray.
- Scoop them out gently after they start to sprout their first pea-like leaves and place them in a larger container to harden off. One of the most reputable growers of sweet peas gave me the following piece of advice: “Treat the seedlings like I would treat my husband: put them in an unheated greenhouse, neglect them, and they will thrive.
- Plant them outside as soon as the soil can be worked.
Sowing Seeds in the Ground
- Sweet peas thrive when their roots are firmly planted in cold, wet soil and their heads are exposed to sunlight. Plant low-growing annuals in front of them if you can to provide shade for the roots.
- Pick a spot that drains effectively. If your soil tends to be acidic, it is recommended to add some powdered lime to the surface.
- Mix liberal amounts of compost or well-rotted manure into the ground to a depth of two feet to create a rich soil. (Learn more about adding amendments to the soil and getting it ready for planting.)
- You should dig a beautiful, deep “compost trench” that is around 4 inches deep before planting.
- After digging the trench, use a pencil to cut holes, place the seeds inside, and then press down on the earth to compact it and block out any light.
- The seeds should be soaked in water for 24 hours prior to sowing. To hasten sprouting, nick the seeds with a nail file before planting. In a temperate climate, seeds don’t need to be soaked.
How to Grow Sweet Peas
- Depending on the soil temperature, germination after planting can take anywhere from 7 to 15 days.
- Fill in the trench gradually as the seedlings appear and develop. Hoe additional dirt toward them.
- Keep the soil wet. Summer rains may be plentiful. Sweet peas can have bud drop; if you stick your finger into the soil bed to its first joint and the soil is dry, water them at the soil level and do so in the morning.
- You won’t need to fertilize if you plant with a lot of compost and aged manure. Use high potash feeds if you do want to supplement the diet because nitrogen feeds promote excessive top development.
- Mulch well once plants are planted to keep the soil cool and moist. Unless the soil becomes dry, you might not need to water your sweet peas if you mulch.
- Pinch off the tops when plants are 6 inches tall, not sooner, as this will promote the production of side shoots too early.
Provide Supports
- When temperatures rise above 65°F, sweet peas will begin to fade since they like chilly days and nights.
- Sweet peas are true climbers, with the exception of the bush forms. Provide them with sufficient support for at least 6 feet. Some species can reach heights of nine or ten feet. A braided willow obelisk, bamboo poles in the tee-pee design, or a trellis are examples of other attractive supports. If you don’t have a fence or trellis, give them something to cling on, such chicken wire, bushy twigs, or brush.
- Give the plants a good start by tying the first few stems to the support; the rest will follow. When they reach a height of 4 to 8 inches, use your thumb and forefinger to pinch out the middle growing point. Plants will grow stronger as a result.
Picking Flowers
- Pick flowers frequently for bouquets so that the plant will focus its energy on producing additional blooms rather than seeds. Up until the first frosts, the more you pick, the more they produce.
- Allow a couple of the final blossoms to mature into seedpods when the leaves begin to lose their color. On a windowsill, dry them, and then keep in an envelope in a dry location to sow the following year.
From miniature bedding kinds ideal for pots and borders without support to 8-foot-plus scramblers, there are sweet pea varieties for every setting.
These decorative peas are native to Sicily, where they have flimsy stems and a powerful orange-jasmine-honey aroma. Modern hybrids feature larger blooms and stronger stalks.
However, some of these contemporary kinds, despite having larger blossoms and more fashionable colors, lack the earlier sweet peas’ perfume. Sweet pea ‘Cupani’ is still rightfully well-liked and simple to grow. It has bi-colored flowers with maroon upper petals and violet “wings.”
The decadently fragrant “America” is an antique from 1896. When its petals open, beautiful red and white wavy stripes are revealed.
Look for antiques like the Sicilian “Old Spice” collection. Shades of white, cream, pink, lavender, and purple can be seen in this strain’s blossoms.
A new cultivar with enormous, creamy-yellow blooms with violet shading called “April in Paris” is aromatic.
Although the ordinary sweet pea is an annual, Lathyrus latiflolius, a perennial broad-leaved everlasting pea, is not fragrant. These clambering plants have a height of up to 6 or 7 feet, are hardy to zone 5, require little care, and bloom continuously from year to year.
- An essential component of a late Victorian garden is the sweet pea. Because of their wide range of colors and aroma, Victorians adored sweet peas.
- When the dew is still on the flowers in the morning, gather them. Their best aroma is at this time.
Can sweet pea seeds still be started?
Nothing is more pleasant for a gardener than planting sweet pea and other flower seeds in the winter. Getting out my sweet pea seed packets and seeing them germinate and sprout indoors is the most delightful thing to do when there is not much happening in the garden itself and I have been spending days indoors due to the cold, wet weather!
Therefore, if you’ve been considering that the only thing you can do for your garden is sit and observe it from the window, reconsider your position.
Early planting of sweet peas will repay you with delightfully scented and eye-catching blossoms. Sweet pea seeds must be started in late winter or early spring if you plant in a zone 7 or colder climate. Don’t hold off till the last frost! Generally speaking, you should start your seedlings inside 6 to 8 weeks before the final anticipated frost.
It might be too late to grow sweet peas and get decent results if you wait until after your final frost. In other regions of the nation, spring lasts only a few weeks before temperatures suddenly rise. Sweet peas require lower temperatures to grow well.
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.
Does it need to be soaked before planting sweet pea seeds?
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.
Sweet peas—can I plant them in January?
The world is still a cold and dreary place even if we may have thrown open the doors to usher in the new year with a loud chorus of Auld Lang Syne. The countryside is still barren and the light is still dim and murky.
Despite this, the start of a new year brings with it a strong urge to plant and develop, and patience may be a challenging animal to tame.
But this year, after diving into the amazing world of flowers, I’ve discovered something that can just barely grate that itch, sweet peas.
I’ve discovered that I’ve already contracted the sweet pea bug since sowing my first batch of Lady Salisbury sweet peas in October.
By the time the temperature and light levels began to fall in December, the plants that were sowed in the fall had grown to a height of about 3 inches.
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I feel compelled to learn everything there is to know about anything new I take up. I read a lot about what would be the preferred flower in the gardening world over the winter.
Maybe we can encourage the next generation to appreciate these treasures in a similar manner that craft beer and sherry have experienced a comeback and are currently fashionable? (As I type, I’m caressing my hipster beard!)
An organization that supports these lovely blooms is called the National Sweet Pea Society. I’ve learned that its website is a great place to learn about events, learn about the history of the plant, and get advice on how to cultivate sweet peas.
When choosing the kinds of sweet peas you might like to cultivate on your plot, the website’s amazing collection of blooming sweet peas is a great resource.
However, Graham Rice’s The Sweet Pea Book was my favorite discovery. Over the holiday break, I read this book quickly after purchasing it. I enjoy reading it.
This is a thorough tutorial for someone who is completely new to sweet peas, yet the narrative is easy to follow and doesn’t make you feel like you are reading a textbook.
Even though I haven’t grown sweet peas for a season, I’m delighted about them. On the other hand, there’s something about this flower that makes me ecstatic to grow it on the allotment this year.
I’m especially drawn to the idea of bringing home fresh flowers that I can arrange in a vase as a lovely accoutrement to the homegrown vegetables we’ll be eating.
This month, I’m planting a second batch of sweet peas. More Blue Velvet and Lady Salisbury. By limiting my selection to only two varieties, I want to ease into producing sweet peas. A vase filled with these blooms will make a straightforward yet eye-catching presentation, in my opinion, due to their stunning color contrast.
Sweet peas are relatively simple to handle because of their large, rounded seeds. They remind me of the edible silver balls that are used to garnish cake tops, except that they are neither silver nor edible.
Annual sweet peas can be seeded in the spring. A January seeding allows the plants to form strong roots, show some early growth, and produce larger plants to set out after the frosts, just like an October sowing did.
Sowing seeds in the middle of January does feel terribly weird. But it’s a widespread practice, particularly in Britain. They have an advantage over those that were sowed in the spring because they were sown earlier, and strong, healthy plants will always prevail over fresh seedlings in the battle against those annoying slugs.
I’ve never had much luck with sweet peas, but I’m well aware of the controversy surrounding the pre-sowing method. Should the seed case be “chimped” to promote germination? Is it beneficial to soak or “chit” the seeds before planting them?
The reality is, according to a reliable source, you only need to poke the seed into the ground for it to sprout. To assure greater results, it could be worthwhile to spend a little more time and apply the aforementioned strategies.
I planted the sweet pea seeds in two 5 inch pots in October. I’m planting each sweet pea seed this time using toilet paper tubes because I’ve learned more.
First off, a 2007 piece in The Telegraph said that we Brits were setting the standard for toilet paper usage. The data showed that Britain’s toilet paper consumption, at 110 rolls per person, was 25 times more than that of Ukraine, which had the lowest usage in Europe.
There are a lot of empty cardboard tubes and bottom wiping involved. Recycling is encouraged. However, they make excellent DIY seed pots.
Second, if you start the seeds in a pot, you’ll need to separate each plant from the massive root ball that has grown by the time you’re ready to put the sweet peas outside. No matter how carefully you do it, some root damage will always result.
Of course, such root injury has very little impact. Only the purist in growth would notice, I’m sure. But perhaps when it comes to our blooming, we should strive to be as professional as we can? Thus, root trainers or modules receive the highest grades.
Root trainers are reusable and quite inexpensive to purchase. I would not have any issues with getting a few packs. However, as I’ve already mentioned, we are drowning in cardboard tubes as a result of how much toilet paper we use.
In terms of root protection, cardboard tubes offer the same advantage as commercial root trainers, but they are also biodegradable. As a result, you can plant the sweet peas outside, pot and all.
Shake the tubes as you fill them with seed compost, then firmly push the compost down. Create a hole in the compost, place the seed inside, and then cover with a thin layer of compost to neatly tuck them into bed. After giving them a good soak, place them in a small greenhouse.
As I previously did with the October-sown sweet peas, I’ll pinch out the January-sown plants when they reach a height of about 3 inches.
Doing this is not difficult in any way, as far as I am aware. The first time I did this, I was terrified as well! Simply pinch off the top of the sweet pea seedling above a leaf joint using your finger and thumb.
It’s nice to be outside planting something that will eventually bloom this year. I’ll be patiently looking for the first indications of tiny shoots breaking through. But just now, I’m returning inside to wrap my hands around a steaming mug of tea.
How are you doing? Do you plant sweet peas in January? Please share your planting plans with me as well as any advise or pointers you have. Leave a comment for me below.