Kitchen Garden Forum

As I don't have a permanent greenhouse, should I sow and germinate my sweet peas indoors now before putting them outside under individual water fountain water bottle cloches? I don't imagine they'll germinate outside under these if it's frosty at night?

Primrose, do you really NEED to sow your sweet peas now? I used to do that (admittedly keeping them in the unheated greenhouse over winter), but then started to sow them at the end of January to mid- February and found that there was no difference in either their vigour or the time they started flowering. So, for the last few years I have been doing that and have not had to worry about keeping them over winter.

Monika - you're probably right. Maybe I've been taking some of the "What to do in your garden now" tips too seriously. I did sow them in autumn last year and kept them going over winter under a covered car port type arrangement but wondered whether the seedlings were more hardy if they were over wintered. Anyway, I've sown a few now, but will save the rest of the seed until early next year.

The only good thing (I think) about sowing now is if you are sowing seed you are collecting from plants that have flowered this year when the germination seems much, much better than it is for bought seeds.

I've got sweet peas still in flower now that I sowed on October 24th last year. I took seed from the plant and into a pot of compost and the germination was pretty nearly 100% and the plants have always been fine.

I agree about the germination rate. I am drying some of my saved sweet pea seeds in a warm outhouse, and some of them appear to have germinated without being planted - they have a tiny root/stem appearing (not sure what yet).

Would it be good to plant these now, or to wait and hope they germinate again in the spring?

Kranser.

If they really are beginning to germinate, then plant them now. I reckon that seeds which get started and then dry out will be dead.

Last year I planted mine on October 24th in biggish pots, so they didn't dry out too quickly, and just left them in an unheated greenhouse. By the spring the shoots were very leggy and I cut them to about 2" and they threw side shoots, grew well, flowered all summer and are still going strong.

I haven't got seeds to collect yet but I dead-headed very conscientiously until mid-september and it may now be too cold for seeds to form and grow. Not sure.