Everything you need to know about growing sweet peas successfully

January marks the perfect time to grow sweet peas, a fabulous climbing plant for any garden.

Known for their abundant, fragrant flowers in various colours, sweet peas are a joy to grow, and you don't need expensive gardening equipment either.

Is there truly anything more nostalgic than sweet peas?

I have been growing them for a number of years, so I thought I would share my tried and tested method for a flower filled summer

Planting in the Ground:

1. Seed Selection

Opt for the freshest seeds possible, whether from a friend or a reliable supplier like Roger Parsons.

Spencer varieties, with their nostalgic scent and long stems, are my personal favourites.

Once you have grown sweet peas it is incredibly easy to harvest your own seed. Not only will this save you money but they plants are more likely to grow well as they have already acclimatised to your garden conditions.

2. Guaranteed Germination

Keep it simple with an indoor, mess-free germination method.

Wet a sheet of kitchen roll in an old takeaway container, place the seeds on top, secure the lid, and keep the container in a light, warm spot like a windowsill. Watch out for quick germination over the next few days, does it get any simpler than that?

3. Sowing for Success

Once germinated, swiftly transfer the seeds into compost. Make a hole for the germinated seed, drop it in, cover with compost, and water.

Discard any seed that haven’t germinated, and if you have germinated too many seed only pick the strongest looking ones to plant.

You can use old toilet rolls filled with compost in place of expensive root trainers. Or you can also use standard 9cm pots, I sow no more than three per pot (give them as much space as you can).

Put the newly planted seed outside in a frost-free spot. Once a few inches tall, you can plant out.

I hope this has given you a gentle way to reconnect with your garden this January, which doesn’t involve lots of cash, mess or time.