I know it's still winter, but I think we've turned the corner here in the pacific northwest. Things are starting to grow. Snowdrops and crocus are coming up, it's almost time to prune the roses AND it's definitely time to plant sweet peas -- I didn't do any last year but I want to do some this year. They smell so good! And they'll bloom well into the summer if you can keep their feet cool. Thing I've learned: plant them in a pot, or at least start them inside because tiny sweet pea starts are a slug delicacy. SLUGS! Ugh. The ugh is built right into their name.
TREE OUT MY WINDOW REPORT: its skinny little tree fingers are starting to thicken up with what will become pink blooms and later red leaves. There are two very busy squirrel nests - residents are always carrying up mouthfuls of leaves and are savvy about not going directly home when there's a tree-climbing cat sitting on the brick wall right next to the tree.
(photo is from a few years ago. You have to soak sweet pea seeds before planting because they have a very tough outer shell.)
Good idea. I was just tellig my mom we should plant some sort of climbing thing by the back porch. Maybe we'll go out and get some sweetpea seeds today.
ReplyDeleteDid you get some? What kind? There are so many varieties! I always end up getting the climbers, but then I always wish I'd gotten some that were a little shorter since it's sometimes tough to manage 12 feet of flowering vine. (but not if you're planting them next to a porch!)
DeleteNo, I didn't get any. Are you still going to give me some from your starts? Did you get climbers? If not, I will and we can swap!
Deleteany special preparations in planting these seeds?
ReplyDeleteSoak them for about 24 hours before planting and temperatures need to be around 50 degreesish for them to germinate, if you're planting them outside.
DeleteIn addition to the excellent advice of anonymous, I would add that they like soil that's been double dug, which sounds like a dance craze of the 80s but is just making sure that the soil is aerated.
DeleteSweet peas sound like the stereotypical delicate flower with their seed soaking and cold weather and aerated soil, but once they get going they're troopers and will keep blooming as long as you keep picking them, well into the summer. (or at least well into an Oregon summer.)