Sweet Peas

March 20, 2023

Life Cycle	Annual
Zone 5 Treatment	Seedlings: Can plant about 2-4 weeks before last frost if you are going to use a row cover for warmth and protection. If not using a row cover, plant right around the time of your last frost. If directly putting seeds into the ground, do this 6 weeks BEFORE your last frost date.
Seedling Care	Transplant within 2 weeks of receiving otherwise the roots can get too crowded and harm the overall health of the plant.
Netting / Staking	Absolutely need a trellis or something for them to climb
Temperature Range They Will Tolerate	34-75 degrees F (sweet peas shut down in the heat, that’s why especially in our zone, 5, you have to get them in the ground early)
Spacing/Height	6” spacingVines can grow 6-8 feet, flower stems are about 8-14 inches.
Soil Preference	Nutrient rich, break up heavy clay soils and amend with compost to allow better root potential. Also needs to be well draining soil.
How to cut for maximum blooms	Make the cut at the base of the stem. Harvest when half to most of the flowers on a stem are open for longest vase life. They will not continue to open after cutting. If you need longer stems, cut the vine including several stems initially and this will encourage more re-growth during good weather conditions.
Pinching	Yes, when about 8 inches tall. (If you get seedlings from me, they are already pinched)
When to Plant if you are NOT in Zone 5	Transplants: 4 weeks before last frost with a floating row coverSeeds: 6-8 weeks before last frost
Post Harvest Care	Unfortunately sweet peas only last about 4-5 days after being cut (with flower food), but those 4-5 days will be the best smelling 4-5 days of your life! Take off all of the leaves and foliage. Leaves and foliage of any cut flower should never be submerged underwater because they decay quickly in water and cause a fast build up of bacteria.
Diseases / Insects	Powdery Mildew – white/grey powdery coating on the leaves. Resource for organically controlling powdery mildew: https://www.growingagreenerworld.com/controlling-or-eliminating-powdery-mildew/ Yellow Leaves – probably means that there is overwatering or not well enough draining soil. A less likely reason would be too much compost, which burns the roots. Aphids – you might see them on the underside of leaves or if the leaves are sticky, this means they were there. Sometimes leaves curl or yellow as well. Resource for organically controlling aphids:https://www.arbico-organics.com/category/aphid-control-prevention-ipm
Sweet Pea’s Notes	If you are planting from seed, we have found that soaking the seeds in warm water for a few hours beforehand speeds up germination. It can be a struggle to get a good harvest of sweet peas in our region, zone 5, because of the cold spring temps turning into hot summer temps rather quickly. Its best to get them in the ground as early as possible. Harvesting seeds for the following year is pretty easy – Let the foliage dry out in the summer on the vine. Seed pods will form. When these seed pods turn brown and crispy, harvest them, crack them open, and put the seeds in the fridge until you are ready to grow them again the next year.
Vase Life	4-5 days ☹