In fact if you sow them in October, November or December you will have much better plants and earlier flowers next year. They are easy to grow and super productive… for masses of scented flowers for cutting you can’t beat Sweet Peas! 
Autumn sowing Sweet Peas.
I’ve grown a lot of Sweet Peas and this is what works best for me:
- Sow two seeds per cell/root trainer and keep them in a cold frame, polytunnel or unheated greenhouse. Mice love Sweet Pea Seeds so it’s best to keep them protected from the hungry little critters until they have all germinated.
- Grow on in the cell/root trainer until your seedlings are well established then pot them on. I recommend potting two well established seedlings into a tall 1L pot because they have a long tap root.
- Sweet Peas are quite hardy so they easily survive throughout winter without any special attention.They will grow roots first and then when the days lengthen and the temperature rises a little you’ll notice that the stems and leaves are growing quickly. Pinch out the tips to encourage production of site shoots and allow them to grow on.
- In March plant each pair outside together at the base of a tall hazel or bamboo cane and tie them in carefully. Take care to keep the rootball intact so as not to disturb the roots and check the plants growth.
Please note that Sweet Peas grow up to 1.8m – 2.10 metres / 6 – 7 feet tall so it’s important to make sure that your supporting canes are long enough!
3 reasons to grow Sweet Peas in Autumn
- Stronger plants with a good root system
- Healthier plants with better disease resistance
- Masses of flowers for cutting
New Sweet Peas
I’ve introduced some lovely varieties for you into my Sweet Pea Shop this month. I’ve selected the best Sweet Peas based on scent, vigour, reliability and flower production. Many of them have the RHS Award of Garden Merit and they are suitable for exhibiting and winning gold medals at flower shows too. These named varieties are available in single colours so if you have a particular theme in mind then this is the way to go.
To save you time and money and to make things super easy for you Sweet Peas are also available in collections. The hard work has been done… I’ve picked blooms that perfectly compliment each other. All you need to do is sow and grow to be sure of a super-duper display in your garden and to have plenty of flowers for cutting. This could be a great option for you if you are planning to grow your own flowers for a special event next year such as a wedding or an anniversary party. Enlist the help of a couple of friends and grow a collection each then you’ll have plenty of blooms for months on end.
WIN SWEET PEA SEEDS
I’m running a competition this month so you can win your favourite Sweet Peas.
There are five prizes. The winner can choose one Sweet Pea Collection (5 or 6 packets of seeds) from the Seed Collection Shop:
The runners up will receive one packet of the variety they prefer or one mixed packet all available in the Sweet Pea Shop
To enter all you need to do is:
- Follow this blog. If you are already following… Thanks very much!
- Leave a comment below stating why you’d like to win and which Sweet Pea Collection or Variety you’d prefer.
This competition is open to UK residents only.
The Closing Date is Monday 31st October and the winners will be informed on Tuesday 1st November 2016.
If you’d like more information about How to Grow Sweet Peas have a look at Resources.
Happy Gardening! Gillian