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Can I sow sweet peas outside now?

12 years ago

I have a bunch of sweet peas I want to grow on some old railings I converted into a type of A-frame trellis and was wondering when the right time to direct sow them would be okay for Maryland. I thought I had read they can do fine but I just wanted to make sure.

Thanks!

- Max

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Comments (6)

ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
12 years ago
plant half.. save half.. experiment ...

is there a winter sowing forum.. if so.. you might get more help there ..

good luck

ken
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
12 years ago
Hmmmm....the timing of sweet peas has always evaded me. I'm wondering if October might be a bit 'off' in your location. You know, too late for a fall display but too early for spring.

If you don't find some good help in the Winter Sowing Forum, you might try your local extension service. Seems like this question should be right up their alley.
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I agree with Ken, in principle. However, the longer the seeds sit out on the ground, the more chance they have of being eaten or washed away or forgotten and mulched over and dug into. I'd try to wait until at least late fall. Though, if you have plenty of seed, planting them now might allow some to germinate immediately and put down enough roots to have a head start next spring. I'm not being very helpful, am I? There's probably no absolutely correct answer. Martha
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Annual sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) is the scented one, but the perennial sweet pea (Lathyrus latifolius) does not have much scent as far as what I've heard. I think the perennial one is more invasive also. I've read about soaking the seeds in water, but haven't heard about soaking them in a tea solution...I'll look into that too... Today I found that link I was looking for about making newspaper pots (posted by sewobsessed, thank you!) so I think I'll try that for the sweet pea seeds.
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Thank you Caryl that makes me feel better. I went and double checked and I didn't put out my morning glories after all! I made up the cups with labels and drainage holes but never did put them outside. I think I'm just going to wait until the end of April beginning of May so that I get my morning glories for sure this year. The sweet peas are pretty hardy so I'm just not going to stress over them, and everything else is perennial or a reseeder so I think I'm good. What would a year of winter sowing be without a little panic, right? ;) Thanks for your reply!
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calistoga_al ca 15 usda 9
12 years ago
Here in the west, zone 9, October is the ideal time to plant sweet peas. With the beginning of our wet, mild winter, the temperatures are perfect also for our slug/snail populations to expand and if not baited for, when sweet peas are planted, they will often eat the seedlings as they emerge. Planting now will assure the longest possible season of bloom before warm weather shuts them down. Al
User
12 years ago
I planted some sweet peas seeds in peat pots two weeks ago and one has sprouted quite strongly here in Southern California. One of my dogs fines peat pots very interesting to play with so I just sowed more seeds directly in the ground.

I just try to keep the soil around the sweet peas seeds relatively moist until the damp seasonal weather arrives. That's when sweet peas really start to grow well...
rhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
12 years ago
Well, we sure didn't help Max much, lol! I hope that he made that phone call to his local extension office!

When I lived in a much warmer climate than I do now, fall was the perfect time to plant sweet peas. What a treat to have those fragrant flowers during the fall and winter. It did seem sort of weird, though, to have bouquets of sweet peas around the house around Xmas!
flora_uk
12 years ago
Well, since we're all talking about our own situations, I'll say how about doing as we do here and starting them in a cold frame or indoors in January for planting out in March? I start them in toilet roll inners, although you can buy special long pots, as SPs like a long root run. Some suggestions at the link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Growing sweetpeas

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