Tim Matcham Garden Design

Sweet peas are a great addition to any garden and are very straightforward to grow – however there are a couple of tips you can follow to get better plants and a longer season of scented flowers which you can bring in to the house.

The first thing I do is to soak the seeds for a couple of days. Add them to a saucer of warm water and sit them on the window sill. This helps them to germinate quickly.

Once they have soaked I then place them in one of my simple recycled newspaper plant pots. make a small impression in the compost with a pencil so that you don’t damage the seed then cover over with compost. Make sure the compost is moist without being wet. Best to water the pots from the base rather than the top as this will encourage root growth.

Your paper pots can be stood in a plastic container or in recycled yoghurt pots. Tie them together loosely with garden twine or string to keep them together.

Tip:- if you have a Phormium (New Zealand flax) try tearing a leaf length ways in to long strips – this can then be used as twine!

You should see the new shoots appearing within about 7 days.

For a longer season sow some of your packet now and then wait a few weeks before planting a few more and so on. The seedlings need to be kept warm and shouldn’t be planted out until the weather is a warmer and we have had the last frost.

Note this can also be used for peas and other garden vegetables. Sweet pea seeds are harmful though and you should was your hands after handling them.

Now all we need to do is wait and watch – ready for the next stage in creating great seedlings – more to follow!

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