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Post by sweetpea on Sept 7, 2014 21:53:05 GMT
here we go..........................I have almost always sown my seeds in a cold frame 6 seeds to a 5" pot.
Second week in October so when would depend on which weekend fell round about then. i aimed for the 10th Oct.
I have also sown as late as middle of November with no discernable difference.
Up north you can sow in jan or feb under glass but down south from about the midlands to the south coast all that is needed is a cold frame.
Once the seeds have germinated full light (most important) and full exposure to all but the most extreme weather should be given.
I have had pots frozen solid for about ten days without losing a single plant. if that happens SLOW defrosting away from sunlight is the answer.
as scrumpy says steady growth is desirable.
I learned the hard way not to mollycoddle the plants.
If sowing in October or even November you really should use a SOIL based compost to see them through until planting out time. Solilless is fine for spring sowing.
I almost always mix my own using garden topsoil although I must admit to being lazy of late and using bought in JI seed compost and adding a little more soil to it.
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Post by Cherry on Sept 8, 2014 11:30:47 GMT
I thought I would need to correct my 'seeds' and 'pot'. I know as soon as I start sowing the seeds. The depth is always the same because I have a rubber band over a pencil. I make the hole with the pencil and sow to the depth of the rubber band.
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Post by scrumpy on Sept 8, 2014 21:10:55 GMT
Been using Humax original the last few years and they seem to like it. Before that, I used to mix potting compost with John Innes number 2.
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Post by sweetpea on Sept 8, 2014 21:47:06 GMT
Re composts I reckon many growers of plants not just sweetpeas will have their favourite mix.
if it works for you then that is all that matters.
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Post by Rosie on Sept 9, 2014 9:54:55 GMT
Cherry, did you grow the sweetpeas that way when you lived up here? I think i might try a pot or two and see what happens 
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Post by Cherry on Sept 9, 2014 13:46:49 GMT
Rosie cast your mind way back to a master lesson we were given on growing sweet peas by sweetpea. I took this on and went mad. I couldn't be stopped. I got the long bamboo canes and measured it all out and followed advice to the letter. Then I took my sweet peas to a fairly big show which was started by a national sweet pea enthusiast. I had them in a shopping bag and after seeing the care the sweet peas were getting in hidden back rooms at the town hall, I started walking out, but was stopped. A Yorkshire man helped me to set them up after the man who started the show said he was too busy with his arrangement. The helpful man had come from Lincolnshire and then went for a kip in his car while the judging was taking place. I did not go back until pack up time and found I had come third. The first two were national exhibitors. I must have had beginner's luck and have not shown since, but the local mannie gave me some exhibition seeds to try to get me to show again. There were lots of exhibits. I will try to find the photo. I only grew them with Sweetpea's help. No, I did not bother with them in Scotland, but I wish I had. I do know now not to grow any old sort of sweet pea. Only seeds of exhibition types give four flowers per stem and a strong stem. I grew some free seeds this season and they were just as much work, had poor stems and only 2 or sometimes 1 flower each. |
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Post by sweetpea on Sept 9, 2014 22:27:42 GMT
It helps too Cherry if like me you have a 'Lucky' pencil I've been using the same one for years. Funny how you get attached to certain tools. Re sowing in 5" pots. When the time comes to plant out you will have to tease the quite extensive root system apart and there will inevitably be some damage but the plants soon recover and race away. watch also for the roots growing out of the drainage hole/s and use your own method to prevent this as given the chance they will root into the ground beneath the pots. |
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Post by Rosie on Sept 12, 2014 8:17:17 GMT
Rosie cast your mind way back to a master lesson we were given on growing sweet peas by sweetpea. I took this on and went mad. I couldn't be stopped. I got the long bamboo canes and measured it all out and followed advice to the letter. Then I took my sweet peas to a fairly big show which was started by a national sweet pea enthusiast. I had them in a shopping bag and after seeing the care the sweet peas were getting in hidden back rooms at the town hall, I started walking out, but was stopped. A Yorkshire man helped me to set them up after the man who started the show said he was too busy with his arrangement. The helpful man had come from Lincolnshire and then went for a kip in his car while the judging was taking place. I did not go back until pack up time and found I had come third. The first two were national exhibitors. I must have had beginner's luck and have not shown since, but the local mannie gave me some exhibition seeds to try to get me to show again. There were lots of exhibits. I will try to find the photo. I only grew them with Sweetpea's help. No, I did not bother with them in Scotland, but I wish I had. I do know now not to grow any old sort of sweet pea. Only seeds of exhibition types give four flowers per stem and a strong stem. I grew some free seeds this season and they were just as much work, had poor stems and only 2 or sometimes 1 flower each. Sorry Cherry, i really don't recall that at all but thats not surprising with my memory  . I have quite a few packets of sweetpeas so i will sow them and see what happens |
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