Growing Sweet Peas

[Missredhead]

The ones in the outside pots don't show anything yet.

[Jasmine]

I have got one little shoot today!

[Ladygardener]

Brilliant MRH thanks for posting the pics, so good to see the little uns starting out.
Well done Tig and Jasmine, it's great when you see those little specs of green, fingers crossed the others will come up too.

[purplejulia]

I have a few shoots coming through too. Getting excited already.

PJ

[Ladygardener]

Bet you are PJ, I'm happy for you and I'm anticipating little shoots any day now.

[dirtyboots]

Thanks to FB I think I will plant straight into the ground this time

This year I bought a few plug plants which did very well,that is until we went away for a week and they didnt get picked

[Ladygardener]

That's the thing about sp Dirtyboots, they need to be picked every few days otherwise they run rapidly to seed and stop flowering.
I can see little spots of green starting with my sp this morning ;D

[Spruance]

With these dark nights and being at work all day I haven't checked on my sweet peas since Sunday so I will be hoping for some signs of life in the morning.

[Jasmine]

That's great LNG. I haven't checked mine since the 5th. It is amazing that those little shoots cope as it gets colder and colder.

[Tig]

Here are mine (all from collected seed this year)

You can just see the tops of the first sowings in front of the second sowings pot

[Dutchy]

Good grief. Well done.
The ones in front look like they mean busines.
Wow, how are you going to stay on top of those when they grow this fast?

[Tig]

Spruance says to nip them out when they get a few more leaves - I shall be following his advice to the letter (and blaming him if they fail ;D)

x Tig

[Spruance]

Here's a photo of the sweet peas I grew for the 2007 trials in March of last year. These are roughly about the size prior to the first snip...



Has anyone got to this stage yet?

[Ladygardener]

I've a good bit to go before mine are that size Spruance. This is a pic of some of mine this morning.

[Missredhead]

Seem to have lost the last pic so......here again are the ones sown in the mini GH



and these are the ones sown at the same time but in a pot outside



netting is to stop the squirrels digging in the pot

[Ladygardener]

MRH, no difference there then between the ones in your mini GH and those outside. We're all about the same then. ;D

[Amo]

Except me!! After being mildly nagged (!! ) I have sown some in the GH today. They are still uptaking of the waters at the moment but I will put them in the cold frame tomorrow. ;D

[Dutchy]

No matter how hard people might want to nag I am not going to do this early sowing.
The ones at MssK that I sowed early did as well as the ones I sowed in situ later in Spring.
Yes the early sowed ones flowered sooner but then they were spend and the other ones still had flowers on last week.
OK maybe just very numpty sparsely spread ones but still...
It is however great fun to follow all your exploits into the wonderfull world of Autumn sown Sweet peas.

[Dutchy]

Indoors or cold and as far as outdoors stretches
Little orbs of hope, not caring or wretched?
Lie ready to be earthed.

In pots of toiletry safed from the bin,
or gardenground, straigh in.
Eager for being the first out there.
Out there where birds sing and sun shines.

The planter told the lore of old,
Now you can grow, honest it won't be cold.

Up up up through it all
the first question marks push through.

Ah, now gardener, you spoke of Spring but this isn't it
Where is the goodness of the sun?
Why do you cut my head off? This isn't fun.

I'll wait with growing now if you don't mind
I'll wait for Spring
and then

Then I will grow with a vengeance.
I will keep you working hard and on your toe.
Yes then I will get even with your kind.

Picking flowers everyday until your fingers hurt
Your house filled with my scent
Ah my cruel and effective woe

This is no play I am here to stay
Your addiction to me, my friend,
Will keep you planting Sweet Peas....

May it never end.

[Dutchy]

sorry, couldn't resist ;D

[Spruance]

Is that one of yours Dutchy? It certainly rings true, especially the bit about sore fingers. ;D

Anyway, without further ado this is how my own sweet peas are getting on...

The ones in the pots, with the deeper root run are so far lagging behind those in the seed trays.


Then again the germination in the trays isn't consistent either although I expect that the late-showers will catch up - they usually do.




These are obviously too small to do anything with but I will review the situation again next weekend.

[Ladygardener]

Dutchy, how clever and how true. ;D I will be sowing again late winter/early spring as always. I don't have room for all the sp I want to grow Amo I'm glad you managed to get some sown, hope they germinate for you.
Spruance,they're looking good to me. Will you pot on those in the seed trays when they're quite young?

[farmersboy]

Mine sown straight into the ground on 23rd Oct, are just showing white shoots,

[Ladygardener]

I was wondering how yours were doing FB, glad to hear they're coming along.

[farmersboy]

Ill take a pic when they are a bit bigger,lng

[Dutchy]

Can SP really take frost then?
Most on here grow them indoors somewhere but yours FB are outside?

[Ladygardener]

Dutchy mine were covered with snow last year and it did'nt do them any harm. Yes they will take the frost to some degree, not sure how low but they're really hardy.

[Dutchy]

Incredible plants are they not?
Snow will work as isolation I wonder how they will do with wet or wind and then minus a lot.
It will be interesting to see how FB as only outdoor grower will get along.
Or are yours also outside?

[farmersboy]

Dutchy,SPs will take quite a lot of frost if sown outside from the start,they get hardened as they grow,but you cant start inside and then bung them out into frost,they will be too tender

[Ladygardener]

Yes mine are outside always grow them outside Dutchy. They're sitting on the windowledge.