No cutting garden is complete without at least one row of fragrant, nostalgic sweet peas. I’ve been growing them for what seems like a lifetime now and each spring as they climb their trellises it’s like seeing my dear old friends once again.

What You Will Need
Method
- In warmer regions (zone 7 and above) where winter weather is relatively mild, sweet peas can be sown in fall. Everywhere else, sow in late winter/early spring.Soak the seeds in water for 8-10 hours before sowing. This softens the seed coat and speeds up the sprouting process.
- While the seeds are soaking, fill your planting pots with good quality potting soil. Sweet peas produce abundant roots, so use the deepest pots you can find. Root trainers and 4-inch pots are ideal.
- Sow 2 seeds per pot, poking them a half inch into the soil with your finger.
- Cover pots with a plastic dome lid to increase humidity and speed up germination. Place in a cool greenhouse, or in a bright window in the house.
- Once plant are 4-6 inches tall, pinch out the central growing tip, just above a leaf joint, leaving just two or three leaf nodes. This will encourage the plant to branch vigorously from the base.
- Sweet peas are heavy feeders and require a little extra pampering to produce abundantly. Prepare planting beds by applying bone meal, a thick layer of compost or well-rotted manure and a generous dose of natural fertilizer. Mix these ingredients deeply into the soil.
- Vines grow rapidly and require a strong structure to climb. Place tall posts roughly 8 feet apart down the row and attach either Hortonova netting or 6-foot tall metal fencing for them to scramble up.
- Plant seedlings out around the last spring frost in two rows, one on either side of the trellis, roughly 8 inches apart down the row. As the vines explode into lush growth, it is important to keep them tied to their trellises. Once the vines get going, sweet peas can grow over a foot a week.
- Sweet peas love water, and without consistent moisture will fail to thrive. Keeping their thirst quenched during warm weather is crucial, so set up soaker hoses as soon as you plant them to keep their lush growth unchecked.Feed plants weekly with diluted fish and seaweed emulsion.
To prolong blooming, it’s important that plants don’t set seed, so be sure to harvest and deadhead the flowers frequently.
- For the longest vase life, pick when there are at least two unopened flowers at the tip of a stem. Add flower food to the water to extend vase life.
Sweet Pea
COMMON NAME: sweet pea
GENUS: Lathyrus
SPECIES: L. odoratus {annual}
L. latifolius {perennial}
FAMILY: Leguminosae
BLOOMS: early spring
TYPE: annual or perennial
DESCRIPTION: The pastel blossoms of sweet pea come in a lovely array of hues including nearly every color except yellow. Their growth habit varies from creeping to bushy, and their height varies accordingly from 1 to 5 feet. Dainty and fragrant, sweet peas are a welcome sight in spring.
CULTIVATION: Annual varieties of the sweet pea will bloom best if given well-drained soil rich in humus, full sun, and regular watering. Plant seeds in very early spring, as soon as the ground can be worked, for spring blooms. For a climbing type, be sure to supply a trellis or other means of support. Perennial sweet peas are not nearly as exacting in their cultural needs and will survive quite well in average soils with moderate watering.
That is how they get grown in Southern California. They get sown in autumn, left to grow, and then bloom as soon as the weather is warm enough for them at the end of winter.
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