Sunday afternoon

[Martin Froggatt]

After an extremely busy week and no let up next week, I have just spent a little time looking around the garden. The sweet peas that were sown in late October have grown to @ 12" high, and this is after the tips were nipped out back in December. Really looking forward to that first flower opening and giving it a good old sniff! Self sown marigold and a particularly hardy strain of Snapdragon (Sawyers Old Fashioned - Chiltern Seeds) are making themselves known around the garden along with quite a number of Cerinthe. The witch hazel is flowering nicely, scenting the air along with the Sarcoccus (spell?) next to the front door.
Back to some head ache inducing calculus this afternoon in preparation to answer some very searching questions that I know will be asked by a major customer of ours next week. Wish we could talk about gardening instead, perhaps debate the scent characteristics of old varieties of sweet pea versus modern strains.

From a cold and grey Derbyshire,

Martin

 

[ideasguy]

Good to hear from you Martin, especially since you are under a bit of mental stress
I suppose its good to be busy nevertheless.

I'm interested in your October sown sweet pea seed. First question: Did you sow them outdoors?

Cerinthe major self seeded on my greenhouse staging (I allowed them to flower once, liked the look of them) and in my garden but they have died out again. Now you have reminded me I must buy some more. Pretty and unusual flowers - I like them

[Martin Froggatt]

Hi,

Yes, always good to be busy but sometimes....

I sow sweet peas into individual pots (toilet roll tubes) and overwinter in the Greenhouse. I agree about Cerinthe major, they are very unusual. I have had them as a permanent feature for several years now, only ever having purchased one packet of seed.

Martin

[ideasguy]

Is your success because the toilet roll tubes allow the roots to grow downwards?
Are roots appearing at the bottom of the rolls at this stage?
What do you stand them on in the greenhouse staging?
I told you there would be more questions Martin
I will buy seed this week and get mine started. Have a bit of catchup to do on yours!!

[Martin Froggatt]

The toilet roll tubes act as a form of root trainer. A member of our gardening club introduced me to using them for sweet peas and I also use them for other annual climbers that make extensive root systems. They are ideal as there is no disturbance when planting out.
The roots are showing at the bottom now but previous experience has shown this is not detrimental to future growth. I fill each tube with compost, stand in a seed tray, sow one seed per tube (sweet pea germination rates are high - I enjoy at least 95% most years) and water lightly. I will water occasionally after germination, but as the temperatures are low (unheated greenhouse) this is not often. The tubes are surprisingly robust.

Martin

[ideasguy]

Great tips there Martin, thank you

I'm afraid I don't have anything like your success rate with sweet peas!
I bought seed at Chelsea Flower Show (its in May) on my one and only visit (so far) and didn't get them sown until next spring - and they all failed