Growing Sweet Peas Effortlessly

There is not another plant that lives up to its name quite as well as the sweet pea. These delicate looking flowers are a stable to many home gardens; an annual favorite for its fragrance and beauty. If you have often wished you could grow these delicate beauties yourself, we are here to help. By following a few simple steps, you can grow thriving sweet peas in your own garden, with less work than you might have thought.

The sweet pea is one of the few plants that actually do best when planted straight in to your garden plot. There is no need to start then in an indoor location ahead of time. This will save you a time consuming task. When you are choosing the perfect place to plant your sweet peas, remember that they prefer a location with plenty of sunshine. Full sun is best, but be sure this location gets at least a good half day of sun. Sweet peas thrive in the suns nurturing rays. The soil should be rich and kept moist, so avoid sandy plots. Before you plant the sweet pea seeds, add some organic matter like a compost or well rotted manure. Sweet peas love this rich type of soil and will grow wonderfully in it. You can plant the sweet pea in your cooler months. They do well in cooler temperatures so if you are in the west, you could plant these seeds in August and enjoy them through the fall. You do want to be sure that the danger of a hard frost is past, however.

Timing is important when planting the seeds to insure that you get to enjoy these beauties for as long as possible. If you live in the plain states, you can plant the sweet pea seeds once the harshest of the winter weather has passed. If you are in the southern part of the country, you can actually plant sweet pea seeds during November or December and enjoy the blooms as soon as spring comes. For the rest of the country, you will probably be sowing your seeds once the ground has thawed enough for cultivating. For the majority, this will be in April.

Now for some planting tips. Sweet peas need about 50 days of temps that are less than 60 degrees to bloom well. The hard coating on a sweet pea pod may require a small nick to speed up the germination. You can use a pair of fingernail clippers to accomplish this. Your soil temperature needs to be between 55 and 60 degrees. Plant your seeds in holes that are 2 inches deep and place the holes about 6 inches apart. This will give them room to grow. You need to keep the soil moist until they sprout. They should germinate in 15 to 20 days. Once they reach about 3 inches in height, you'll want to thin them out a little. Keep the plants that seem to be thriving the most. While sweet peas are delicate, they are really not any more difficult to grow than any other garden flower.