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Planting, Growing, and Caring for Sweet Peas
Early sowing in late winter is one of the secrets to growing sweet peas! With their seductive fragrance, sweet peas make great flowers for gardens and bouquets. These exude a pastoral beauty—an antithesis to our busy world. In our growing guide, learn how to plant and care for sweet peas.
About Sweet Peas
The sweet pea—Lathyrus odoratus—is an annual flower that is at home in a cutting garden, border garden, woodland, or twining lazily on a rustic trellis or an arch. The flowers are now available in a huge range of colors, from pearly white through ice cream pastels to ritzy magentas and inky purples.
Their dainty winged blossoms are matched only by their honey and orange blossom perfume. The combination of the delightful scent and the ability to produce so many blooms for the house over a long period of cutting has ensured their popularity.
Despite their delicate look, sweet peas are quite hardy. In USDA Hardiness Zone 7 or colder, plant them in very late winter or early spring as soon as the soil is dry enough to work.
The first sweet peas were introduced to Britain in 1699 when a Sicilian monk, Francis Cupani, sent seeds of this highly fragrant annual to Dr. Robert Uvedale, a teacher from Enfield, Middlesex. They became hugely popular in North America, as both garden plants and cut flowers. By the late 1800s, California’s growers (including W. Atlee Burpee) shipped trainloads of sweet peas all over the country and developed many further varieties.
Some folks say that growing sweet peas is akin to making a pie crust. Some people have the knack, while others don’t. This plant grows from large, easy-to-handle, pea-like seeds. Still, they’re a bit tricky because they are slow to germinate. It’s worth experimenting with different seeds each year.
Planting
WARNING: Do NOT plant sweet peas near edible garden peas. All parts of the sweet pea plant are poisonous. If enough of the plant is consumed, it can cause a condition called lathyrism, which is exhibited by paralysis, shallow breathing, and convulsions.
When to Plant Sweet Peas
- In most locations where frosts occur regularly (Zone 7 and colder), sweet peas should be planted in very late winter or very early spring as soon as the soil is dry enough to work. (Do not wait until the last frost to sow! It will likely be too late.)
- If you garden in mild winter climates (Zones 8, 9, or 10), plant sweet peas in the late fall (November) so they can develop and bloom in late winter and early spring. To get the best display, dig a trench and fill it with well-rotted manure or compost 6 weeks before you sow the seeds. Sweet peas are greedy plants and need a good boost of nutrient rich matter to thrive.
Sowing Sweet Peas Indoors
- In the coldest parts of the country, get a jump on the season by starting sweet peas indoors in a seed tray. Sow in seed-starting containers in early spring, about 6 to 7 weeks before the last frost date, then plant out as soon as the soil can be worked; sweet peas can handle light frosts.
- Soaking the seeds overnight first softens the outer coating and aids germination. Lightly scoring the outer shell with a nail file can help, too.
- Sow the seeds about half an inch deep in individual cells of a seed tray—2 seeds to a module is fine, but be aware that their long roots have a tendency to tangle and can make separation difficult.
- Once they are showing their first pea-like leaves, gently scoop them out and put them into a larger pot to harden off. The advice I had from one of the most respected sweet pea growers was “to treat the seedlings how I would my husband: stick them in an unheated greenhouse, ignore them, and they will thrive.”
- As soon as the soil can be worked, plant them outside.
Sowing Seeds in the Ground
- Sweet peas are happiest with their heads in the sun and their roots deep in cool, moist soil. When possible, plant low-growing annuals in front of them to shade their roots.
- Choose a well-drained site. Alkaline soil is best; sprinkle some powdered lime on the surface if your soil tends to be acidic.
- Prepare a rich soil by mixing in generous amounts of compost or well-rotted manure to a depth of 2 feet. (If you want to learn more about preparing soil for planting.)
- Prior to planting, you’re going to want to dig a nice deep “compost” trench of about 4 inches in depth.
- After you dig the trench, make holes with a pencil, drop in the seeds, and press down on the soil to firm it and shut out any light.
- Before planting, soak the seeds in water for 24 hours. Then nick the seeds with a nail file before planting to speed sprouting. You do not need to soak seeds in a temperate climate.
Joins us as we show you how to plant sweet peas in this video demonstration:
Growing
How to Grow Sweet Peas
- Once planted, germination can take 7 to 15 days, depending on the soil temperature.
- As seedlings emerge and grow, gradually fill in the trench. Hoe more soil up to them.
- Keep soil moist. Summer rain may be ample. If you put your finger into the soil bed to its first joint and the soil is dry, water them at the soil level and do so in the morning; sweet peas can suffer from bud drop.
- If you use plenty of aged manure and compost when planting, you do not need to fertilize. If you do want to add nourishment, use high potash feeds, as nitrogen feeds encourage too much top growth.
- When plants become established, mulch well to keep the soil cool and moist. If you mulch, you may not need to water your sweet peas unless the soil gets dry.
- To encourage bushy growth, pinch off the tops when plants are 6 inches tall—not before, or you’ll encourage premature side-shoot development.
Provide Supports
- Sweet peas prefer cool days and nights and will start to fade when temperatures go above 65°F.
- Except for the bush types, sweet peas are real climbers. Give them at least 6 feet of good support. Some varieties may climb to 9 or 10 feet. Other visually pleasing supports are bamboo poles in a tee-pee style, a woven willow obelisk, or a trellis. If you don’t have a fence or trellis, provide chicken wire or bushy, stubbly twigs that they can cling to.
- Tie the first few stems into the support to give the plants a good start, and the rest will follow. When they reach 4-8 inches high, pinch out the middle growing tip with your thumb and forefinger. This will lead to sturdier plants.
Picking Flowers
- Pick the flowers for bouquets often, and the plant will put energy into more blooms instead of going to seed. The more you pick, the more they produce, right until the first frosts.
- When the leaves start to lose their color, let a few of the last flowers form seedpods. Dry them on a windowsill and then store them in an envelope in a dry place to sow next year.
Catherine Boeckmann
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I plant sweetpeas every spring on the Victoria Day long weekend (live in Alberta Canada). I soul them in water for a day and plant about 150 seeds along my south exposure 8 meter fence with 2.5 meters high chicken wire. They take 2-3 weeks to come up and by August they reach the top of the chicken wire covering the whole fence. I water on a regular basis and clip the flowers for bouquets weekly. The fragrant aroma on a warm summer evening is great. Summer temperatures range from 9-20 degrees at night and 18-30 during day. Hope this helps.
Hi
wondering about the Sweet Peas, I live in St John's Nl, i have planted my sweet peas just about 2 weeks ago and they are about 4 inches high. If you let then die off in the fall, have you known then to seed again and survive the cold harsh winter.
I just planted sweet peas for the first time, I also live in Alberta. When can I expect them to flower? Thanks.
I have a lava rock area on my side yard with a nice sturdy fence that I would like to grow these on so I can create privacy from my neighbors as well as keep the flies away that gather from them not picking up their dog waste so this spot would be ideal, however i don't want to remove all the rock, will I still be able to grow this in the ground dispersed between the rocks? if not is there something else you can recommend that will climb up the fence and will tolerate the lava rock
thanks
Yes, sweet peas grow in lava rock. Good choice! In fact, sweet peas thrive with poor soil and like to struggle. Don't baby them. Ignore them!
Due to topography, etc, I have a cooler side to my home. I have an area herein which receives full sun, BUT, by about 1pm, it becomes shady. MUST the sweet pea (and/or the Morning Glory) have full sun ALL DAY?
I live in mid Georgia (zone 8a) and planted some sweet peas in early March, according to the recommendations on the seed packet. The plants are growing great but haven't bloomed yet (early May). I am getting married in early September of next year and wonder when is the best time to plant next year in order to have flowers available for my wedding. By my calculations, it seems mid-May would be the right time to plant to produce September blooms, but I think Georgia will be too hot for them to grow properly at that time. Any suggestions? Is this even possible, or am I setting my hopes too high?
Hi Lara,
Most sweet peas grow best in cooler regions but there are varieties available that tolerate heat and grow through the summer. 'Zinfandel', 'Cupani' and 'Painted Lady' are just a few. Read our planting and care information above. You can test a couple of different varieties this summer to see if you can keep them blooming until September. One trick to get them to bloom for a long period of time is to keep picking the flowers and not let them go to seed.
Dear almanac team. I live in Cape Town South Africa . My husband has been planting sweet pea seeds with no show of germination. Very frustrating for him ! We have put seeds into peat pots, planted in various places in the garden and if we are lucky, one out of 10 might germinate . Please help . We would love to have these beauties in our garden this winter and spring .
Regards Sham
I have good luck with my sweet peas growing and climbing, what I need to know is what do I do with them in the spring. I have all the dead vines, do I cut them off, leave them or what?? I checked the other comments and unless I over looked it, I saw nothing on what to do with sweet peas in the spring??
