Sow sweet peas in February

If you read our blog on jobs to do in the garden in February, you will have noticed one of those jobs was to sow sweet peas.

As part of our #GetGardening series, to help keep you occupied during lockdown, we’re sharing top tips for sowing the seeds so you can enjoy lovely, sweet smelling flowers in the summer.

February is a great time to plant your sweet pea seeds. It’s best to sow into pots, with at least a 3-4inch diameter as they will only stay in these for a few weeks before you plant them out.

Plant seeds 1/2 inch (1cm) below the surface. Approx 10 seeds to a pot nicely spaced out. Water well.

All seeds need, moisture, warmth and natural light to germinate and grow, so find a good spot in your house or greenhouse/conservatory and in approximately 10-14 days you should see some green shoots appear.

Once the shoots are around two inches tall, the pots can be moved outside to a sheltered, sunny spot to help acclimatise them to outdoor conditions.

When they have grown on further, they can be planted in their final spot. This can be in the ground or in a pot (10 inch, 25cm diameter minimum). Remember to feed and water well.

They will need something to climb up, so any support e.g., sticks from the hedge or an obelisk will suffice. By June you should have your first flowers to enjoy and of course they can be cut and brought indoors.