Backfill the trench with soil and firm the ground gently. Never sow in cold, wet soil; acidic soils should be limed. For a succession of peas, sow at two-week intervals. We always start them indoors as the mice get them if we sow direct. You can pre-warm it by covering with cloches or sheets of polythene 2-3 weeks before sowing. Make a single V-shaped drill, 5cm (2in) deep, water the base of the drill and sow the peas. It’s … 3. You can either place it in the sunniest location of the home or use grow lights. A second row can be added, as long as it's 30cm (12in) away from the first drill. Sweet peas are easy to grow from seed in either autumn or spring. Water the trench first, then sow the seeds 5-7cm (2in) apart in three rows along the bottom of the trench. RHS Garden Hyde Hall Spring and Orchid Show, Free entry to RHS members at selected Approximately 1 month before your last frost you can move your … Place the peas in individual pots, sowing each seed about 3 inches deep. If sowing in autumn ensure you have the room to grow them on in a frost-free place until spring. In the greenhouse, vegetables to sow in January include aubergines and summer maturing cabbages and cauliflower, plus early crops of lettuces, spinach, salad onions and turnips. Starting Pea Seeds Indoors:To grow an early crop many people sow seeds in a length of gutter. ; Start growing Begonia, Geranium (Pelargonium) and Dianthus (Carnations/Pinks) from seed indoors, as these are also slow to flower. I'm going to grow some sweet peas from seed and it's the middle of December which is a really good time to do it. Read more. Plant them in very late winter or early spring as soon as the soil is dry enough to work, meaning if you haven’t put your sweet pea seeds in the ground yet, you should hurry. In general, peas prefer cooler springs. times, RHS Registered Charity no. Peas sown in cold, wet ground will rot off, so make sure the soil is warm. ... Make a single V-shaped drill, 5cm (2in) deep, water the base of the drill and sow the peas. But you can help activate germination by nicking the seed coat with a knife, avoiding the ‘eye’ area. A second row can be added, as long as it’s 30cm (12in) away from the first drill. These are finely milled and contain few nutrients, which could damage seedlings, Fill the container with compost, level, firm gently and water well, Many seeds require specific sowing treatments, such as light-exclusion or scarification (scratching or nicking the seed coat), so check seed packets for specific instructions, Small seeds can be scatter-sown thinly over the surface of the compost. Sow peas in a trench 15 cm (6 in) wide and 3–5 cm (2 in) deep. Sometimes, two seeds are sown per plug and the strongest seedling selected, discarding the weaker one, Label, lightly water again and cover with clear polythene or a sheet of glass, or place in a heated propagator with a lid. Veg Garden Edible Garden Garden Plants Outdoor Plants Vegetable Gardening Gardening Tips Growing Flowers Growing Plants Growing … If spring is slow to arrive, warm the soil with polythene before sowing and then protect seedlings with horticultural fleece. You could sow them in pots, old used toilet rolls, seed trays and root trainers. For earlier crops that are ready from May onwards, sow in autumn or late winter (bear in mind you may experience losses from cold weather or mice). Placing it by the window is the best thing to do, but make sure that it does not receive direct and extreme heat from the sun. ; Sow Lobelia under glass in gentle heat, for fabulous beds, containers and hanging baskets in the warmer … Shelling peas mature at different times. Cut off the stems at ground level, allowing the roots to rot down and release nitrogen back into the soil for the next crop to use. Use a purchased seed starter mix or make your own with equal parts … This is OK later in the year when temperatures warm-up, as we can direct sow. Saved from telegraph.co.uk. BBC © 2014 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Plant successive crops and you can even have fresh peas year around. 'Sugar Ann' (AGM) - sugarsnap pea bearing very early sweet pods, 'Delikata' (AGM) - tall mangetout carrying a heavy crop, 'Feltham First' - popular, hardy variety producing early pods, 'Waverex' - reliable petit pois with plenty of small, sweetly flavoured peas, 'Early Onward' - early variety with a high yield of blunted pods. Backfill over the seed and water your peas well after sowing, and then leave them - except in very dry weather - … Sweet pea seeds germinate relatively easily. Keep the compost moist and transplant into the garden once the seedlings have established. Shelling peas come in round and wrinkle-seeded varieties. This is a tried and tested method for growing sweetpeas used by Sarah Raven, who grows a range of sweetpeas every year at her garden at Perch Hill, West Sussex. 2. Once germination occurs, the glass, polythene or propagator lid should be removed to increase ventilation, Keep the compost just moist at all times to maintain steady growth until the seedlings can be pricked out (transplanted) to bigger pots, To prick out seedlings, loosen the compost around their roots with a blunt stick or ‘dibber’ and lift the seedlings individually by holding one of the true leaves (not the first seed leaves produced just after germination) between finger and thumb, Try to keep as much compost around the roots as possible and use the dibber to make a hole for the seedling in its new pot of compost, Pot each seedling into a 9cm (3.5in) diameter pot. The crop the next year will be very early. While you will be able to view the content of this page in your current browser, you will not be able to get the full visual experience. See RHS Grow Your Own for advice on growing specific vegetable crops. About three days into the growing cycle of the first batch simply sow another batch in another tub. If you have a heated greenhouse or enough space and light in the house, you can sow some things indoors as early as January (e.g. 256. The Vegetable Kingdom at Ryton Organic Gardens. It is January/February in our area, so the ground is just too cold and frozen to even put sweet peas in the ground, but you can grow them in a container. Cover the pots to protect them from mice. Fill your container with compost, about 1/2 to 3/4 inch below the top. Place the guttering in the greenhouse, or a cold frame. Stagger seeds 13cm (6in) apart, pushing the seed to a depth of 5cm (2in) into the ground. Sow seeds in a cold frame in autumn or straight into the ground in spring, and you'll be eating sweet, tender peas straight from the pod all through the summer months. How to sow sweet peas, Easton Walled Gardens Hardening off sweet peas Dig in plenty of garden compost, well-rotted manure or mushroom compost before sowing to improve the soil. Twigs up to height of 45cm / 18in above ground are ideal supports. If weather is mild no heat will be required but plenty of light required to stop plants from getting drawn. Shelling peas come in round and wrinkle-seeded varieties. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets (CSS) enabled. Earlies take around 12 weeks, second earlies take 14 weeks and maincrops take 16 weeks. Read more. When to sow seed indoors If you have a heated greenhouse or enough space and light in the house, you can sow some things indoors as early as January (e.g. Read about what else to plant in June here. Sow the seeds evenl… For taller varieties, sow seed in a single row 5-10cm (2-4in) apart, ensuring there's enough space for plant supports. In many areas of the UK the peas can be sown in mid-September for overwintering. Sow peas such as ‘Meteor’ outdoors for an early crop next year. In the late winter and early spring, direct-sown seeds would rot, sow one way to get a head start is to sow seed indoors. We aim to enrich everyone’s life through plants, and make the UK a greener and more beautiful place. Annual bedding plants, such as morning glory (Ipomoea), sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus), marigolds (Calendula and Tagetes species) and sunflowers (Helianthus cultivars) can be started off indoors to create flower displays for the summer. Place in a greenhouse or cold frame. Many varieties grow well in containers and will flourish indoors but snap pea, snow pea and dwarf pea plants are the easiest. 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