Sweet peas need a supporting structure. At your whim
the structure may be plain or fancy, but it must be sturdy. Use your
imagination to build the structure that meets your needs. Healthy
plants have a lot of foliage. When it rains the weight of the foliage
will cause a weak structure to collapse. In England the sweet peas are
typically supported with bamboo canes or grown around a wigwam
structure.
(click on picture)
My structure is practical, not pretty. In the row to the left
I used 8’ steel fence posts set 8’ apart. I hung
chicken wire (2-inch holes, 5 feet height) between the poles. I started
the chicken wire 12" above the ground, so that I ended up with
growing height up to six feet.
The structure to the right consists of 8' steel posts set 8'
apart. Between the tops of the steel posts I strung heavy duty
wire. Leaning against, and secured to the wire with garden twine
at 6 inch intervals, were bamboo canes. The canes were barely
stuck into the ground.
In the picture you can ignore the stakes. These are my markers for
the different varieties in my trial patch and are irrelevant to the
'structure' discussion.
This year I am using the chicken wire exclusively for practical
reasons. It was both cheaper and easier to maintain
throughout the growing season. When I have a good year, my
plants go well over the top.
You probably cannot see them in the photo, but when I put up my
structure, I also lay 'ooze hose' in each row.
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In most parts of the country, it should be OK to transplant in early
April. (I would like to hear from people in different climates
throughout the country. (pat@fragrantgarden.com) The plants will survive light frosts, even though they may
struggle a bit. It is best to transplant on a cloudy day.
If you grew your plants in a single flat (Method
1), you can take them out of the flat and gently disentangle the
roots.
I do this by gently shaking the plants. As you are
taking the roots out make sure you cover them so they don't
dry out.
Then lay the
plants in a V-trench that is about 4 " deep and cover the roots
with soil. Put them 6 to 8 inches apart.
If you grew your plants in individual pots (Method
2) you can put them into a hole in the ground without disturbing the
root. If you have been delayed by adverse weather and your plants
are a bit pot bound, you can carefully loosen some of the roots.
Notice the ooze hose in place.
If you germinated your plants on paper towels (Method
3), you can gently pull the paper towel apart to
separate individual plants
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