I read that sweet peas require darkness, so that may be why the paper towel method does not work for those. ==>>> then put the baggie in a drawer??? the wet towel is to soften the seed coat ...enough that the embryo ... can push its way out ... by thinning or breaking the coating .. you simply hasten the procedure ... this would normally be left to mother nature outdoors .. during winter and early spring ... in the proper zone ... 4 oclock is another hard one.. when stored... but i find them on the ground ... soft as pudding in spring ... i store them because the birds eat them in late fall and winter.. if there is no snow cover ... so i am a bit confused how 'darkness' fits in what we are trying to accomplish here .. perhaps a bit of .. too much knowledge is slowing you down?? ya know.. they dont all have to go in one baggie ... do two bags.. do one in a dark drawer.. and one somewhere else... most i what i learned.. pre WWW ... was by experimenting .... i bet it wont matter ... ken ps: i am missing 4 pair of kitchen scissors ... any chance you know were they are.. since you run around with them ... lol ...

I planted them in milk jugs. I did not soak them in water. All I did was prepare and filled a milk jug, planted them, labeled the jug, and sealed it. I remember reading about Sweet Peas and they don't like the heat. The two varieties I planted, Old Spice Mix and Mammoth Mix, are heat resistant varieties and they still look good. Where I'm planning to put them faces east and it gets sun from sunrise until early afternoon. I'll plant some other kind of annual vine after the Sweet Peas fade. Brad AKA Moonwolf

Mine are doing really well. I'm surprised to hear that they aren't necessarily easy to grow. I sowed four different types in March, got great germination and every single one survived. Some of them are approaching 3 feet high now and at least one has flower buds on it. I was pretty willy-nilly about the whole thing, too. I also have them in potting soil (Miracle Gro Moisture Control) in three pots and in the ground in three different places. As a result, I had concluded that they weren't fussy at all. The only thing I can think that I've done that might have made a difference is fertilizing them as seedlings with a diluted fish emulsion. I understand they are heavy feeders. I was reading some info on Renee's Garden website, and it seemed to indicate that young seedlings are very susceptible to early heat. Could that have been the problem? Maybe they weren't far along enough before heat got them? Just some random thoughts from another person new to sweet peas. Lisa

I so appreciate all the information I'm given or directed to, but sometimes instructions tell you to do something, but they don't say WHY! I recall when I asked my Mom a question I got "because I said so", I really hated it then & I still do! I just got a nice e-mail from the 2 ladies that wrote the article, inviting anyone to write to them, if not for gardening advice, then just to say hello! You're so right, the growing season up there is really short,I mean it's like about 2, possibly 3 months. My sis had all her gardens wiped out last Nov. from rains that caused a earth dam to break up stream from her. But I think little by little she's getting the mess cleared away and will start again!