Tag: growing sweet peas

Plants – Sweet Peas and the Farmer’s Almanac

On By TimelessladyIn Plants6 Comments

I’ve grown sweet peas many times here in NJ. I’ve been successful starting them indoors and out, but I have found that even if I plant varieties that claim to be perennial, the plants behave like an annual for me and rarely grow a second year.

This year, I soaked the seeds overnight, dug a trench around an already established trellis, and planted all the seeds in the ground. The seeds are covered now, but I have not filled in the trench. As the plants grow, I will gradually cover the bottom of the growth with more soil. This will help the roots stay cool and hopefully give the sweet peas more endurance to withstand New Jersey’s high summer heat and humidity.

Great tips for growing sweet peas can be found in the online version of the Farmer’s Almanac: Growing Sweet Peas

I picked up a pack of chiles for a great price in Aldi this week. They are a great asset to my gardens.

Scattering a few chiles around newly planted seeds might deter a squirrel or chipmunk intent on finding acorns or sunflower seeds.

Phlowers – Friday Flowers/Sweet Peas

On By TimelessladyIn Phlowers13 Comments

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Sweet peas are a favorite of mine, an old-fashioned vine with a delicately scented bloom. Sweet peas, much like pansies, will not survive the entire summer growing season. When temperatures start to sizzle, sweetpea vines will dry out and die back.

I find sweet peas tricky to germinate and grow. This year only three seeds sprouted and grew to a good size for me. The three vines are doing a great job climbing up the string I strung alongside a butterfly house.

The Old Farmer’s Almanac has some good tips on how to grow sweet peas. It’s probably too late to grow the vines for blooming this season, but keep them in mind for next year, and if you have a friend with some vines…ask them for some seeds*.

Some terrific tips from the Old Farmer’s Almanac on how to grow Sweet Peas.

Quick Tip for Pressed Flower Hobbyists – Sweet pea flowers have never pressed well for me, but the curly tendrils make a nice addition to pressed flower compositions.

* Sweet Pea seeds can be toxic.