Sweet Peas: when to start indoors and out???

I have just received my 2011 order of sweet peas (tried a British online seed catalogue this time, one imaginatively entitled www.englishsweetpeas.co.uk ).

I live in Tsawwassen, BC, and always get the sweet peas into the garden too late. If I want to start them early indoors, when should I do that and when should I plant out the seedlings?

And if I want to sow them direct into the garden, when should I do that?

Thanks everyone!

Regards,
Janet

 

Years ago i heard an 'Old Gardeners Tale' stating it was good luck to plant your sweet peas seeds (outside in the garden) on Valentine's Day. I have planted mine many different years with wonderful results. I live just outside Victoria.

 

Ok then, February 14th I will plant half my seed order indoors and half outdoors! The indoors ones I am told should go out into the garden on St. Patrick's Day, March 17th. Wish me luck, I will report in once the bloom season is underway...

Regards,
Janet

 

Advice to suit all temperate locations:

Outside: Sow when the risk of hard frost has passed - that is, below 27 deg. F or -3 deg C.
Inside: Germinate damp, not wet, at 66 to 68 deg. F or 19 to 20 deg. C. Plant sprouted seed on moist compost, cover with 1/2-inch or 15 mm of dry sand, and keep at 45-50 deg. F or 7 to 10 deg. C. Cover to prevent dry-out until seedlings appear, then give full daylight. With this indoor routine it will take 8 weeks to reach size for hardening off outdoors. Therefore start this routine 8 weeks before the risk of hard frost in your area has passed.

Foregoing is taken from Growing Sweet Peas - basic cultural advice (Spring Sowing) available from breeders Cooltonagh Irish Sweet Peas

 

I planted my sweet peas in the fall, and some of them are already 8cm high and doing very well. Others are just starting to come up, or are waiting a while. I'm on one of the Gulf Islands, so in the same sort of zone as you are in Tsawwassen.

I put the seed directly into the ground so the plants just come up when they think the timing's right.

Anyway. It's something to keep in mind if you plan to grow sweet peas again. It's very easy, and the results have been very good each time I've done this.

 

Awesome! I did not think sweet pea seed would survive our winter temperatures...I stand corrected!

 

In our zone, fall sowing works well.

I first did this through absolute laziness. But I've since noticed that one seed merchant (West Coast Seeds, I think) states on their sweet pea seed package that people living on the coast can plant sweet peas in fall. And The Sweet Pea Book says this about sowing:

 

I have germinated seeds in damp paper towel inside plastic sandwich boxes, planted them individually in plastic tray liners, pinched out tips and planted outside after last frost, early April.

 

For those of you who planted your sweet peas outside in the fall...how deeply did you plant the seeds and did you use innoculant?? I usually start my seeds indoors on paper towels and then plant them just after they sprout in a day or two (usually St. Paddy's Day for good luck!) in a trench and fill in as they grow....but I'm always looking for better ways. I like the idea of planting in the fall and it's encouraging to hear yours are up. I'm in North Van and the ground has been pretty frozen up until very recently.

 

I didn't do anything special in terms of seed depth - just did whatever the package suggested. I didn't use innoculant.

It's fun to see sweet peas pop up early. Some off mine were an inch or two tall in December! I thought they'd die, as they were flooded and underwater for a stretch, then under snow later, then flooded again. But they're still growing, so there we are.

I figure that if I sow in fall and it works, great. If it doesn't work, I can always plant more in spring, right? So nothing to lose, in my books.

 

Fabulous!! Thanks so much.....plus it's a lot more fun planting in the fall than in this disgusting weather!!
Cheers