Sweet pea, time to wake up
Depending on who you ask, seeds for fragrant sweet peas should
be planted in October. Or in January with the winter annuals. Or in
March with other spring-flowering annuals.
What really happens is that people buy the seeds in October and
put off planting them. Then, in January, they rediscover the seeds
and put it off a little longer. Then, in March, they decide it’s
either now or never.
Sweet pea, time to wake up
Depending on who you ask, seeds for fragrant sweet peas should be planted in October. Or in January with the winter annuals. Or in March with other spring-flowering annuals.
What really happens is that people buy the seeds in October and put off planting them. Then, in January, they rediscover the seeds and put it off a little longer. Then, in March, they decide it’s either now or never.
Planting sweet peas doesn’t have to be a never-ending ordeal. They can be planted any time during the six months from fall to March to produce bouquets of gorgeous fragrant flowers. The one thing sweet peas can’t take is summer heat.
So, why plant in October when you have so much leeway?
The answer to that is easy: Get them going early and you will have many more flowers over a longer period of time. In our region, the idea is to maximize winter and spring flowering. They are remarkably cold hardy and can take frost without damaging the plant.
Actually sweet peas like cold nights. These plants need about 50 days of cool temperatures – under 60 degrees – to bloom gloriously.
Sweet peas are one of the easiest flowering annuals to start from seed. They do best when directly sown in the garden. Give them a site with full to partial sun with deep rich well-drained soil. The seeds germinate in 14 to 21 days.
Once the seedlings are growing, water regularly to promote strong, healthy growth. When seedlings are 3-4 inches high, thin them out leaving the most vigorous-looking plants 4-6 inches apart. Don’t use fertilizer over the growing period or you will end up with very green leaves and few flowers.
Sowing seeds every week over several weeks will extend the bloom time. Repeat the seeding in January and do it again in March or early April for the longest possible sweet pea season.
You will find sweet pea packets on seed racks at local garden centers. A major producer of sweet pea seeds in this area is Renee’s Garden, based in Felton, which offers a wide selection of flower forms, fragrances and colors under such names at Jewel of Albion Antique Sweet Peas, Regal Robe Bouquet Sweet Peas, and Velvet Elegance Early Blooming Sweet Peas.
I have seen sweet peas planted among English garden peas and edible pea pods, but be careful doing this. Don’t mistaken one for the other. Although garden peas are edible, sweet peas are poisonous – especially the flowers and seeds.
The experts say there is no evidence that soaking the seeds overnight before planting will increase seed germination. But you’ll never convince me of that. My dad soaked his sweet peas seeds and grew gorgeous flowers the length of his driveway, so I soak my seeds and have had good results, too. Sweet pea seeds have a hard-seed coat and the oldtime wisdom is that soaking the seeds softens that coat. Nicking each seed coat by using a nail clipper is another way to break through that hard seed coating.
Somewhere down the line, sweet peas dry up and stop producing when weather turns warm in summer. The flowers will set seed pods. Collect the seed pods and let them dry thoroughly to release their seeds for the next season’s sweet pea garden. It’s as easy as that.
A Reader Wants to Know: My orange and lemon trees look pretty sad right now. For one thing some of the leaves are streaked with yellow markings. I have small green citrus forming and I want that to be a good crop. I’ve heard it’s not good to fertilize citrus trees in fall. What should I do?
Joan Says: There are mixed reports about year-round fertilizing of citrus trees. Some people stop fertilizing in October and start again in March to avoid new growth during the coldest part of the year. Others say it’s OK to fertilize lightly over winter.
Clean up your trees, pick off the dried mummies, snip off dead leaves, and make sure the ground underneath the tree is free of fallen fruit and weeds. Fertilize lightly, and deep water to soak the fertilizer into the ground. Once the rains begin, your trees should recuperate.
