Vetch ∗ The 10 best planting and care tips

Characteristics

• Scientific name: Lathyrus odoratus
• Genus: Vetchling (Lathyrus)
• Family: Legumes (Fabaceae)
• Synonyms: sweet peas, sweet peas, garden vetches
• Growth type: annual climber
• Growth height: 50 cm to 250 cm
• Leaf: pinnate
• Flower: racemose
• Fruit: pod
• Toxicity: toxic
• Hardiness: sensitive to frost
• Use: cottage garden, green fence, natural garden

growth

In gardener-speak it is vetch the short form for sweet peas, sweet peas and sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus). This name hides a lavishly flowering plant species of the genus Vetchpea (Lathyrus). For more than 300 years, Lathyrus odoratus has been valued in Europe's gardens as the epitome of romantic abundance of flowers. The original vetch was discovered at the end of the 17th century. Century in the southern Italian monastery garden of Father Francesco Cupani (* 21. January 1657; 19. January 1710). To this day, sweet peas are an integral part of the creative design of country house and cottage gardens. The high esteem is based primarily on these characteristics of growth:

• growth type: annual herbaceous climber.
• growth habit: hairy, climbing, bushy-branching stems with numerous pinnate leaves and intensely fragrant butterfly flowers.
• growth height: 50cm to 250cm.
• root: in symbiosis with nodule bacteria for improved uptake and processing of nitrogen.
• Horticulturally interesting properties: sensitive to frost, easy to care for, bee-friendly, tolerates pruning, soil-improving, slightly toxic.

blossom

The vetch stages its floral magic with these blossoms:

• flower shape: racemose inflorescence with 2 to 7 individual flowers.
• single flower: Butterfly flower (1 upright flower flag, 2 lateral flower wings, 2 lower petals grow together to form a boat).
• flower size: 2 cm to 4 cm long.
• flower colors: white, pink, red, black-red, crimson, violet, blue or bicolor.
• heyday: June to September.
• flower ecology: hermaphroditic, nectar-bearing.

With a remarkable nectar and pollen value of 3, the vetch is one of the most beautiful flowers for the bee friendly garden.

Sheet

The romantic-opulent ornamental value of a sweet pea is intensified by a decorative foliage with these features:

• leaf shape: pair pinnate.
• leaflets: ovate-elliptical, 2 cm to 6 cm long, 1 cm to 3 cm wide.
• special feature: filigree, terminal tendril on each leaflet.
• leaf color: light green to grey-green.
• arrangement: opposite

As for peas characteristic, small stipules with a length of 1.5 cm to 2 cm thrive on the leaf base of a vetch.

fruit

Pollinated vetch flowers go through a transformation process into fruit in the fall with these traits:

• fruit type: legume with 8 seeds.
• fruit shape: elongate-flattened, bivalve, hairy.
• fruit size: 5 cm to 7 cm long, 1.0 to 1.2 cm wide.
• special feature: Vetch seeds are slightly toxic due to various amino acids.

At this point, a tip for hobby gardeners with a family garden: In the following care instructions you can read how to outsmart the slightly poisonous content of vetch seeds.

use

The annual vetch climbs rapidly to lofty heights, blooms profusely, smells seductively, forms a dense dress of leaves and enriches the soil with nitrogen. These floral talents make sweet peas a coveted summer beauty with numerous uses. Be inspired by these ideas for the garden and balcony:

As a cut flower, the vetch is a feast for the eyes in every vase. Simply cut off the prettiest stems with flowers and place them in the vase. The shelf life of sweet peas as cut flowers is limited to one to two weeks. The more often you cut a beautiful sweet pea bouquet, the more luxuriantly the climbing plant will bloom.

plant vetch

Sweet peas are easy to plant. It succeeds inexpensively sowing of vetch seeds either directly in the bed or on the windowsill. You can buy ready-to-plant sweet peas in spring from any well-stocked nursery. Where and how to plant sweet peas correctly is explained in these short instructions with practical tips and tricks:

Location, soil quality, substrate

At this location, the annual vetch unfolds its full splendor:

• Sunny to partially shaded position.
• Premium location: in full sun and sheltered from the wind on the south side of a pergola, fence, house wall or balcony.
• garden floor: nutritious, fresh to moist, well drained, calcareous,
• Potting substrate: Mixture of peat-free potting soil, compost and coconut soil in equal parts with sand and algae lime as additives.
• Exclusion criteria: full shade, waterlogging, windy, low-lime, acidic soil with a pH value of less than 6.

Prepare sowing

A warm bath increases the germination of vetch seeds. A climbing aid should be available in good time so that the fast-growing, young tendrils can hold onto it and grow upwards. How to properly prepare for sowing:

1. Put on gloves.
2. Roughen the hard shell of the seeds with sandpaper.
3. Fill the used thermos flask with lukewarm water or camomile tea.
4. Soak vetch seeds for 24 hours.
5. Install a climbing aid at the intended location.

Suitable climbing aids are trellis (e.g. B. willow double trellis) pergola, trellis on the facade or a fence (e.g. B. self-built picket fence).

Sow in the bed

April is the time window for direct sowing of vetches in the garden bed. Hobby gardeners in rough locations wait until early/mid-May to sow. Sweet pea seeds are normal and dark germs. With gloved hands, press the soaked seeds seed-deep into the finely crumbly soil at a distance of 5 cm to 10 cm. In row planting, make a 4 cm deep furrow along the trellis, place the seeds in it and press the soil firmly with both hands for a good ground cover. Water the seedbed with fine spray and provide protection from gluttonous snails.

Cultivation on the windowsill

Sweet peas grown early on the windowsill or in the greenhouse start the season with a considerable head start in growth. The best medium for sowing are spring pots made from coconut fibres. This has the advantage that a young vetch can later be planted in the bed or pot together with the seed pot. The following brief instructions explain how to do it correctly:

1. Place spring pots in a waterproof bowl.
2. Pour water over it and wait for the swelling process, which lasts a few minutes.
3. Press vetch seed 1cm to 2cm deep into the well of the pot.
4. Keep constantly slightly moist on the bright window sill.
5. Germination time: 10 to 21 days at 15° to 20° Celsius.
6. Extra tip: Pinch seedlings with at least 2 pairs of leaves repeatedly for dense, bushy growth.

The following video reveals when you can start growing vetch:

James the gardener recommends: Sow sweet peas in the fall - this is how it works

planting

You can plant vetches that you have brought early or bought ready-to-plant in beds, pots and balcony boxes. The expert planting technique aims for strong, healthy growth and lush flowers until autumn. The following planting tips explain what is important:

• The volume of the planting hole is twice as large as that of the root ball or seed pot.
• A layer functions in the planter expanded clay(€19.00 at Amazon*) or grit(€14.00 at Amazon*) as drainage against waterlogging.
• Before planting, place young vetch in water until no more air bubbles rise.
• Remove the purchased container from the water-soaked root ball before planting.
• The planting depth remains unchanged and takes into account a pouring margin of 1 cm to 2 cm.

For even growth on the climbing aid, loosely tie the tendrils to the lower struts. A slight inclination of the plant to the climbing aid is advantageous.

digression

Dream team Wicke and Bauernrose

care for vetch

The annual vetch is very easy to care for. The focus is on regular water and nutrient supply. Pruning care promotes lush flowering and prevents the growth of poisonous fruits. You can keep diseases and pests in check with simple home remedies. Important care tips in a nutshell:

Pour

• Keep vetch constantly moist in the bed and pot.
• Pour the soil and potting soil when the surface is noticeably dried (finger test).
• Run normal tap water directly onto the root disc.
• Stems, leaves and flowers not with the water hose blow up to prevent mildew.

Fertilize

• Sweet peas weekly from April to September fertilize.
• liquids flower fertilizer(€27.00 at Amazon*) add to the irrigation water according to the manufacturer's instructions.

To cut

• Stalk sweet pea once or twice during growth for bushy branching.
• Clean out wilted flowers every few days to encourage new blooms and no poisonous pods.
• Alternatively, cut back the vine by half or a third after the first blooms.
• Extra tip: in a pure adult garden, do not clean out all withered flowers for fruit and seed formation for the purpose of self-sowing and seed harvesting.

multiply

Sweet peas are simple and promising sowing to multiply. If you follow the pruning recommendation above and do not clean all the withered flowers, you can harvest ripe legumes in autumn. The two-lobed pods contain spherical, dark brown seeds. Remove the seeds with gloved hands. Keep the slightly poisonous seeds in a dark, dry and safe place for children until you sow them.

diseases and pests

Magnificent vetch growth arouses the desires of pathogens and pests. In fact, the annual climber is prone to infestation when site problems or care mistakes torpedo healthy growth. The following table describes common patterns of damage to Lathyrus odoratus, names typical causes and gives tips for fighting without poison:

Popular Varieties

These beautiful vetch varieties transform the garden and balcony into a colorful sea of ​​flowers:

• Cupani: historical original vetch from southern Italy with dark red flowers with violet wings, climbs up to 3 m high.
• Salmon Cream: impresses with its rare salmon-peach color and slender stems for cutting in vases.
• Black Maroon: historic sweet pea, whose velvety black-violet flowers exude an enchanting scent.
• Matchmaker Rose: bicolored premium variety with white flower wings and pink flower plume.
• Minute Orange: heavenly dwarf vetch boasts salmon-red butterfly flowers in pots and hanging baskets.
• Villa Roma Scarlet: fiery red vetch in small format up to 40 cm high for the front garden, balcony and terrace.

FAQ

Is there also a hardy vetch?

The popular, annual sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) has numerous conspecifics that thrive perennial and hardy. This includes the herbaceous vetch, also known as broad-leaved vetch (Lathyrus latifolius), with climbing tendrils and a flowering period from June to September. The winter-hardy spring vetch (Lathyrus vernus) sets the scene with bushy, upright growth and spring-fresh flowers from April. For the natural garden design, the perennial meadowsweet pea (Lathyrus pratensis), also called meadow vetch, whose climbing shoots shine with bright yellow flowers every year.

Are sweet pea pods edible?

The downside of the wild and romantic vetch flowering season are poisonous fruits. Each pollinated flower becomes a pod containing up to eight spherical seeds. These seeds contain various amino acids that are hard on the stomach of humans and animals. Intentional or unintentional consumption in large quantities causes nausea, stomach pain, vomiting and diarrhea. Hobby gardeners with family gardens cut off withered blossoms in good time and in this way prevent the formation of questionable legumes.

When can you sow vetch seeds?

In the greenhouse, heated conservatory or on the windowsill you can sow vetches seeds from November. This has the advantage that the young plants start the next season with a promising growth advantage. The time window for direct sowing in beds or sowing in pots on the balcony opens in early/mid-April. Soak the seeds in water overnight beforehand.

Which vetch sowing is more promising - direct sowing or sowing under glass?

Experienced sweet pea experts advocate sowing under glass. Vetch seeds can also be sown directly into the bed. In this case, however, a high failure rate is to be expected. The large seeds are a popular snack for birds. Snails eat the juicy seedlings with relish. Furthermore, extreme temperature fluctuations and days of drought can significantly impair outdoor germination. You can avoid these adversities by sowing the seeds indoors in pots from November and cultivating them at room temperature in a bright location.

Pinch off vetch seedlings. How does it work?

To pinch a vetch seedling, hold the shoot tip between your thumb and forefinger above the next pair of leaves. Pinch the herbaceous stem with the fingernails away. Alternatively, cut off the shoot tip with sharp, disinfected herb or flower scissors.