Hi

I like growing sweet peas but because I am not the most organised lad
I tend to be a bit late getting them going from seed...

so I was wondering how practical it would be to start them late in the
year, for the following season.

I seem to remember that this is possible but two points are against
it.

(i) I live on the east coast of Scotland, winters can be cool,

(ii) I don't have any glass house facility.

I would be grateful for your thoughts.

Many thanks

Yours

Andrew J
N Fife

wrote in message
...
Hi

I like growing sweet peas but because I am not the most organised lad
I tend to be a bit late getting them going from seed...

so I was wondering how practical it would be to start them late in the
year, for the following season.

I seem to remember that this is possible but two points are against
it.

(i) I live on the east coast of Scotland, winters can be cool,

(ii) I don't have any glass house facility.

I would be grateful for your thoughts.

Many thanks

I am near Stirling and I grew mine in a cold frame last winter.

Ophelia

I do that but I'm in a lot different place to you regarding cold weather. Sweet peas do not like to be molly coddled but I suspect your weather would be a touch to cold, even for sweet peas, out in the open

Robert The Devil's Advocate www.pafc.co.uk
wrote in message ...
: Hi
:
: I like growing sweet peas but because I am not the most organised lad
: I tend to be a bit late getting them going from seed...
:
: so I was wondering how practical it would be to start them late in the
: year, for the following season.
:
: I seem to remember that this is possible but two points are against
: it.
:
: (i) I live on the east coast of Scotland, winters can be cool,
:
: (ii) I don't have any glass house facility.
:
: I would be grateful for your thoughts.
:
: Many thanks
:
: Yours
:
: Andrew J
: N Fife
:

"......... 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.


--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

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

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