Lathyrus odoratus

This is a collection of different sweet peas grown in my 2022 garden. Colours include pinks, violets, white, purples, deep maroon and more.

The sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) is a hardy annual flower in the legume family, Fabaceae.

Although related to the green pea (Pisum sativum), they are not the same.  The sweet pea is a climbing plant, which produces sturdy flower-filled stems along the vines, making them an excellent cut flower.  However, unlike the edible green pea, no parts of the sweet pea are edible. To learn more about sweet peas and why you should add them to your flower or vegetable garden, please read my post, "Why You Should Grow Sweet Peas". This post covers how to start your seeds, the tools required, when to transplant them to the garden and some of my favourite sweet pea varieties.

Sweet peas may be transplanted to the garden several weeks before the last frost, as they can take light frosts. In my zone 5a/b garden, I prefer to start them in root trainers or long cells, as they transplant better when their roots have space to grow in a downwards direction. You could also use toilet paper rolls to start your sweet peas, then transplant the entire roll and plant directly into the garden. The rolls will decompose adding compost to the soil and the plant will grow freely without root disturbance. Start your sweet pea seeds 8 to 10 weeks before the final frost date.

To learn more about planting sweet peas in root trainers, watch my video at this link - https://www.juliadimakos.com/video-how-to-plant-sweet-peas-in-root-trainers/

Sweet peas are hardy enough to be sown in their containers, then moved directly to an unheated greenhouse. They will germinate when they are ready and will grow with no trouble. Transplant to the garden whenever you choose, without hardening off, as they will grow sturdy in the cold greenhouse and won’t require acclimating to the outdoors.

Days to Maturity: 60

Days to Germinate: 12 to 28

Price: $4.25

Packet: 25 to 30 seeds

Germination: 85%