Sweet Peas

[hedgewytchy]

Just looked at my sweet peas - and they have turned yellow and one has turned to paper?
Well watered not too much not too little, planted into good homemade compost and tended them as usual as I have done every year since I was little - what on earth has gone wrong
Is it the recent heat - that has noe gone?

Lisa x

[Green Aura]

I don't know is the simple answer! But it might be something to do the the extremes of temperatures this spring - it's not supposed to get so hot yet! I also have had very mixed results from sweet peas in the past, I've never successfully grown from my own, collected seed - or were the seeds old?

I don't think it's too late to strike some more though if those are not going to survive.

[grahamhobbs]

Hedgewitchy, you don't say what size your plants are now, but I don't think it was was the heat as I've had sweet peas scortched in my polytunnel before now with the heat, but the leaves crinkle and go crisp but essentially remain green, at least initially. Also the temperature was extreme probably over 40degC. But this was with large established plants, if yours are at seedling stage, perhaps they could have been burnt to a crisp.

[southern_jason]

Hi, i am new to this site, I'm having trouble growwing my sweet peas this year. What temperarture do they need to be at and what sort of conditions do they need to grow well.

Cheers :)

[Thomzo]

No help from me I'm afraid. I love sweet peas but can never grow the things. They always do that to me no matter how hard I try.

Zoe

[Henwoman]

I haven't sown my sweet pea seed yet - only just found it in the safe place I had put it! Am I too late?

[grahamhobbs]

Sweet pea are best sown much earlier but you can still sow them now. I grow mine in the polytunnel, but sometimes they do suffer because it gets too hot. Sweet pea can tolerate the cold but need a sheltered spot, they don't like being blown around. They need regular watering. Otherwise they are pretty easy to grow, as with anything if you sow indoors, harden them off before planting out.

[oldjerry]

Agree with that ,my dad grew them as a cash crop.and sowed them in the GH in september.

[Lilyfae]

I know it's probably little help but your points have made me really wonder

mine are out in the open scattered from a seed packet ( maybe your polytunnel it would be too hot) and I've pretty much ignored them since - of course watering when it was stupidly hot but as im recovering from pneumonia I've completely ignored most of my seedlings and the sweetpea & nicotiana ( the latter inside on the southfacing window sill) both of which I've never got to grow before, seem to be thriving for it.

So I'm stumped in that regard - to care or not to care for sweetpeas!

[grahamhobbs]

I grow my sweet pea in our polytunnels because their perfume absolutely fills the air, they grow wonderfully and get watered regularly, although occasionally it does get too hot for them inside. They are like ordinary peas, quite tough and will tolerate cold weather. They will not tolerate dry soil and do not like being blasted by the wind, otherwise they will grow away quite happily with little trouble from pests and diseases. So Lilyfae, so long as you give them water before the soil dries out and it is a bit sheltered as they get taller, you don't have to mollycoddle them.

[Lilyfae]

. So Lilyfae, so long as you give them water before the soil dries out and it is a bit sheltered as they get taller, you don't have to mollycoddle them.

Thank-you, that's good to know- they are placed near a wall so hopefully that will shelter them as they get taller.
Good to know I'm doing something right as the last few years my sweet peas have not even got this far!