Direct sowing outperforms cultivation on the windowsill
You can sow sweet peas behind glass in pots as early as March. In this case, however, the seedlings have to endure the rigors of pricking and planting. This stress is at the expense of vitality and the ability to flower. It is better if you wait until April to get the sowing to be carried out directly in the bed.
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Step-by-step instructions
In the sunny location, prepare a fine-crumbly seedbed in fresh, moist and nutrient-rich soil. The seeds will find ideal starting conditions if you rake sifted compost lightly into the soil surface. Spend the night before sowing the seeds in a water bath to pre-soak. How to proceed:
- In the prepared seedbed, make furrows at a distance of 30 cm with a depth of 4-5 cm
- Put 2 seeds into the soil at a distance of 5 cm
- Cover the rows of seeds with soil up to a height of 5 cm and water them with a fine shower head
If you do not arrange sweet peas in rows, please place 3 seeds per planting point 5 cm deep in the loose soil and water. To protect against voracious pests and pecking birds, spread a close-meshed net over the seed.
Prick and douse - how to do it right
At a constant temperature of 12 to 15 degrees Celsius, the germination of sweet peas takes 2 to 3 weeks. From a height of 10 cm, select the strongest seedlings at a distance of 10-20 cm. Take the time now to relax any young pea, encourage bushy growth. To do this, snap off the tip of the shoot with your index finger and thumb up to the first vital pair of leaves.
Tips
Looking at the romantic flowers, we can hardly believe that sweet peas are closely related to peas. Both types are legumes. Scientists refer to the beauty of the flowers as 'fragrant flat pea'. Apart from the botanical relationship, the two plants no longer have anything in common.
