Vetches are among the most popular summer bloomers, thriving in an incredible variety of colors and species in our gardens. The annual flowering plants produce many seeds that germinate without any problems. With these you can grow the plants yourself for the next garden season very easily and inexpensively.
When and how do you sow sweet peas?
Vetch can be sown indoors from the beginning of February or directly into the bed from mid-May. In the house: Soak seeds, place them in potting soil and cover. In the bed: Plant seeds in pairs 10 cm apart and cover with soil. Protect the seeds from birds.
Seed procurement
You can get vetch seeds in any good garden market. If you already have sweet peas in your garden, you can harvest the seeds yourself. Don't remove any dead flowers in the fall, just let the flowers dry out. Flattened legumes are formed in which the seeds are located. These must mature until they begin to open laterally. Now remove the seeds, which are up to half a centimeter in size. Let them dry on a piece of kitchen paper for a few days and store the seeds in small paper bags until sowing.
Sowing in the house
You can grow sweet peas indoors from the beginning of February. They then bloom outdoors in early summer and thrive particularly vigorously. Follow these steps:
- Soak the seeds in lukewarm water.
- Fill growing containers with low-nutrient growing soil.
- Place seeds three centimeters apart on the lightly pressed soil surface.
- Vetches are dark germinators. Therefore, cover the seeds with soil about a centimeter thick.
- Wet carefully with a sprayer.
- Cover the planter with a hood or a transparent plastic bag (€12.00 on Amazon) (greenhouse climate).
- Place in a bright but not full sun location.
- The optimal germination temperature is between 15 and 18 degrees. An unheated winter garden or the stairwell is ideal.
Vetch germinates quickly and it only takes one to two weeks for the first shoot tips to appear. Due to the planting distance, the plants only need to be separated in exceptional cases. It is important to give the plants additional support once they have reached a height of ten centimeters. Shish kebab skewers that you stick into the growing soil next to the young plants are well suited.
Sowing outdoors
Vetch is robust and can also be sown directly into the bed. The right time for this is early to mid-May, as soon as there is no longer any threat of night frost. Loosen the potting soil thoroughly so that the young plants find optimal conditions. The seeds are planted in pairs at a planting distance of around 10 centimeters and covered with soil one centimeter thick. Then carefully water with a very soft rain shower.
Tip
Vetch seeds are a sought-after treat for our feathered friends. Be sure to protect the seeds from hungry birds with nets.
