Should I plant on or out?

B_leaf · April 2023

My sweet peas have grown to 2 to 3 inches on my window sill but I feel I have planted them in too shallow trays, do you think I should plant on in deeper pots or put them outside yet?

Busy-Lizzie · April 2023

Yes, pot them on, pinch out the tips and harden them off first, out by day in by night to start with. They are hardy but they must get used to the outside.

Fairygirl · April 2023

They look nice and healthy, so yes- pot on and inch out @B_leaf . You can easily get them outside for a while now and in at night for a week or so, unless you're somewhere very inhospitable. Basic shelter from rough wet/windy/sleety weather is all they need.
I've had some outside for a while, under a bench, and they're ready to plant in their permanent pots, but they're in deep pots from the start, so the roots are good. The others were sown in late March. I use takeaway coffee cups [3 or 4 to a pot] as they're nice and deep and need no potting on until they go out

Trays aren't great for them because of the roots, so if you do them again, use a standard 3 inch pot, and put 3 seeds in them if you don't have anything deeper. You can then plant them out as a clump or separate if you want. If you don't do them too early, they'll be fine in that size without potting on.

B_leaf · April 2023

Thank you @Fairygirl, I've potted them on into 3inch pots and put them in my mini greenhouse for the meantime, I have a round climbing frame ready for them so I'll see what they're like in a couple of weeks before planting in the big outside planter 🙂

Fairygirl · April 2023

Just keep them well ventilated too - they can get very hot in small gr'houses if it's sunny, especially if it's those plastic ones.

Good luck with them though - I'm sure they'll be excellent. Lots of food and water for them, so a nice rich mix in your container to start with, and additional food later

B_leaf · April 2023

@Fairygirl I have the sweet pea seedlings in my mini wooden greenhouse with liftable tops, they look ok if not a tad skimpy but after looking at the weather forecast I noticed we are in for some frost next week, will they be ok in there as long as I keep the doors/tops closed?
Thanks 🙂

Fairygirl · April 2023

They don't need the tops closed for a little bit of frost. Unless you're getting something like minus 7 or 8 or beyond [which isn't likely!] they'll be perfectly fine.
I planted out the ones I mentioned earlier into their final, large pots last week - shortly after that post on the 13th. They aren't much bigger than yours, although they're slightly bushier as they 've been pinched out. We've had several nights at frost level temps, including frosts, since then. Mainly no lower than zero, and they're fairly short lived where the sweet peas are, as opposed to the shaded parts of the garden where it lingers well into the late morning or early afternoon

B_leaf · April 2023

Thank you 🙏

B_leaf · April 2023

@Fairygirl I promise this will be my last question lol but I have noticed a slight green glaze on the top of the soil in some pots, is this anything to worry about or should I just crack on? 🤔

Fairygirl · April 2023

Is it just a wee layer of algae or moss?
If so, it's often a sign of damp soil/compost. It's not really a problem for sweet peas as they don't mind being on the damp side, but isn't so good for anything that likes being a bit drier. The ventilation will help, but it could also be down to the compost you're using.
I used some new stuff for my tomatoes last month, and not one seed has germinated. They either dry out too quickly or stay soggy. I've sown more in my own mix that I use for other seed, so hopefully I'll get a better result.

B_leaf · April 2023

Thank you again @Fairygirl, i also took @Busy-Lizzie's advice and pinched them so now they are branching out nicely.
You're such a lovely lot 👍😉

Should I plant on or out?

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