On Wed, 9 Jul 2003 22:23:24 +0100, "David Hill"
wrote:

~"......... I was wondering how practical it would be to start them late in
~the year, for the following season. ......."
~
~Normal practice, overwinter cold, in a cold greenhouse or coldframe.
~
~I always wonder why the young "Delicate" plants will over winter, but the
~mature plants will die at the first frost.
~I believe it is something to do with the sap in the young plant having more
~sugar or something that acts as an anti freeze.
~

I sowed loads last autumn and popped them in the cold frame and I
think I got about six seedlings from 8 different varieties after being
hit by what I must assume was a massive snail attack. I sowed the
second half of the packets on March 2nd and they overtook the
surviving others like express trains. Now picking two large bunches a
week which is wonderful.

I'm growing them up the same poles as my runners, so I attract bees to
all the flowers. Seems to be working (though tying-in is even more
fiddly than normal!)

Just as an aside, I tried the 50p special offer hanging basket dwarf
sweet peas 'sweetie' from T&M and the flowers are really pretty (some
bicolour, some striped) and very heavily scented. I wish I'd planted
the whole packet and just had a basket full of those rather than the
usual mix!


--
jane

Don't part with your illusions. When they are gone,
you may still exist but you have ceased to live.
Mark Twain

Please remove onmaps from replies, thanks!