Sweet peas
A cottage garden favourite, sweet peas offer an abundance of fragrant flowers in a rainbow of colours. Perfect for cutting and bringing indoors.
Sweet peas seeds
£2.29 in the shop
Calendar
Sow
October – November (for overwintering) or February – April (for spring sowing) in modules or root trainers indoors.
Plant out
April – May, once plants are well-established and hardened off, and the risk of hard frost has passed.
Harvest
June – October, regular picking encourages more blooms.
Conditions
Sun
Full sun, 6+ hours a day, essential for abundant flowering.
Water
Keep consistently moist, especially during dry periods. Never let the soil dry out completely.
Soil
Rich, fertile, well-drained soil, pH 6.5–7.5. Improve with plenty of organic matter.
Spacing
15–20cm (6–8 inches) apart when planting out. Provide a sturdy support structure.
Containers
Excellent in large, deep containers (min. 30cm/1ft deep) with good drainage and support.
Indoors
Start seeds indoors in autumn or early spring to get a head start.
Care and harvest
Feeding
Once flowering begins, feed weekly with a high-potash liquid fertiliser to encourage continuous blooms.
Pruning
Pinch out tips of seedlings when 10-15cm tall to encourage bushiness. Deadhead regularly to prevent seed pod formation and prolong flowering.
Harvesting
Snip stems at the base of the plant when flowers are fully open. The more you pick, the more they will produce.
Storage
Place cut flowers directly into water. They last well in a vase for about a week.
Good companions: Lettuce, Spinach, Calendula