Hi, figrat - Traditionally mid-October is the time for sowing the seed, but I think given the unpredictability of the seasons, I would be inclined (depending where you live) wait until early November.
Now is the time to be looking at seed catalogues and choosing next years varieties.
I'm on the southern edge of Dartmoor with a walled garden that has quite a protected microclimate in terms of frost, but have suffered along with everyone else with this season's gloom, chill and rain.
Scent with sweet peas is the most important for me...would you have any recommendations?
Anyone see Monty Don's update on his 'sweet pea experiment' in last night's GW program?
I'm not sure why he thought the experiment was necessary in the first place. However, (having dismissed autumn sowing as a waste of time) he did have the honesty to show the proof that sweet peas grown from autumn sowings are superior.
I know his experiment is yet to be concluded, but it's obvious that he's going to say at some stage, that the autumn sowings finished flowering before the spring sown ones....but he should have known that anyway.
Interesting to note the poor results from sowing seed direct in the spring, particularly in a difficult season like this.....very much a less desirable option.
There is a fourth option he didn't mention of course, that is to sow the seed insitu, in the autumn.
Btw, I thought the sweet peas grown in Rachel's 'forces garden' were a better sample than those in Monty's garden.
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Hi, figrat - Traditionally mid-October is the time for sowing the seed, but I think given the unpredictability of the seasons, I would be inclined (depending where you live) wait until early November.
Now is the time to be looking at seed catalogues and choosing next years varieties.
Anyone lke these?
I'm on the southern edge of Dartmoor with a walled garden that has quite a protected microclimate in terms of frost, but have suffered along with everyone else with this season's gloom, chill and rain.
Scent with sweet peas is the most important for me...would you have any recommendations?
Well it has to be remembered that frost is an advantage during the winter, as it makes for strong stocky plants.
Probably the sweet pea 'Cupani' has the strongest scent of any of them and also is the daddy of em all.
Anyone see Monty Don's update on his 'sweet pea experiment' in last night's GW program?
I'm not sure why he thought the experiment was necessary in the first place. However, (having dismissed autumn sowing as a waste of time) he did have the honesty to show the proof that sweet peas grown from autumn sowings are superior.
I know his experiment is yet to be concluded, but it's obvious that he's going to say at some stage, that the autumn sowings finished flowering before the spring sown ones....but he should have known that anyway.
Interesting to note the poor results from sowing seed direct in the spring, particularly in a difficult season like this.....very much a less desirable option.
There is a fourth option he didn't mention of course, that is to sow the seed insitu, in the autumn.
Btw, I thought the sweet peas grown in Rachel's 'forces garden' were a better sample than those in Monty's garden.
David, if I start my seeds off now, should I do it indoors, or straight outside where I want them to grow?
TBH neither, Becks. Don't do anything until mid-Oct at the earliest.....sowing indoors or out at this time will just waste the seed.
As I said somewhere up-thread, I'll be doing step by step a little later in the year.
Okay. Thankyou.
Thankyou for that David- I wait in anticipation. The pic you posted on 21st is really beautiful.