Check out the latest vlog for the start of one of our favorite flowers for the 2021 season. We are growing two kinds of sweet peas, one the traditional full size, and one for the balcony railing planters this spring.

Method 1: The direct sow method.

This is the traditional method used for sweet peas in residential homes. Most people love the idea of just getting out into the soil once it’s workable and placing sweet peas directly in the earth to bring fragrant spring blooms.

Prep seeds by soaking for 12-24hrs - be sure not to soak too long, you just want to soften the outer shell. I have done this without a pre-soak before and it came out ok, but not 100% germination.
Then plant out into well composted soil and keep moist till you see sweet peas poke their heads out!

Method 2: Pre-sprout in plastic bags.

This method is to be 100% sure you get germination on your sweet peas. They have a tough shell, and are often planted around a trellis, and you want to fill the space perfectly. Because of that, being 100% certain they are germinating is really important to some. Especially if you have limited space.

You need paper towel, plastic bags, and labels of some kind. It’s easiest to have a plastic bag per variety, but as you see in the video you can just be careful and double/triple your varieties if you keep them safe.
Take your paper towel and soak, then squeeze out excess water so you are left with a damp towel. Fold your paper towel in half, and add your sweet peas distributed around. Fold paper towel over seeds and place into bag. Label!! And then wait 3-5 days. You want to see the root coming out a good 3+ centimeters, this just guarantees your

When Planting Out

Be sure you are using DEEP planters or sections of garden beds for your sweet peas, keep them well watered so they stay cool as the temperatures rise. Place your sweet peas, either soaked or pre-germinated in about 1 inches deep, and space out according to variety, we had one variety (dwarf) that needed 2-3 inches, and another (Spencer) that needs 6+ inches of spacing.

Hopefully both methods yield great germination results! Both methods can be used if you are starting your sweet peas indoors as well, you want to be sure you give them LOTS of root growth so the recommended method is using root trainers. Either method, remember to pinch your sweet peas once they are a few inches tall so you get big bushy plants!