To harvest sweet pea seed pods, wait until the seed pods turn light brown in color. Then, use gardening shears to cut the seed pods off the flowers, leaving the stems on the pods. Next, hang the pods up to dry by tying string or elastic to the stems, and leave them for several days.
How do you know when sweet pea is ready to pick?
Harvest sweet peas when the pods are still tender, juicy, and green. Pick them before the seeds inside over-mature and their pods begin to yellow. Sweet peas can be eaten raw if they’re picked while they’re tender and have brightly colored pods.
Should you remove pods from sweet peas?
Once your sweet pea plants are in full flower make sure that you dead-head them and remove seed pods as soon as possible to encourage more blooms to be produced.
Do you cut sweet peas down after flowering?
Cut sweet pea flowers right after they open completely, or when they have at least two unopened flowers at the very tip, recommends Floret Flowers. The best time of day to cut is early in the morning, before sun and wind have a chance to dry the flowers, or late in the evening after they are rehydrated.
What do I do with the pods on my sweet peas?
Sweet pea pods and seeds are not edible, but you can harvest them from the plant to propagate more flowers. Sweet pea flowers come in many colors, making them a popular choice for gardens and floral arrangements.
Do sweet peas come back every year?
Sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) only live for a year, dying after setting seed. But don’t let this put you off as they are super easy to grow from seed. Perennial species such as Lathyrus latifolius come back year after year, but mostly lack fragrance and there are fewer to choose from.
How long do sweet peas last in the garden?
If you actively maintain your cut sweet peas, they may last beautifully for up to one week.
Can you eat the peas from a sweet pea plant?
Since they are members of the legume family, people often wonder, can you eat sweet peas? No! All sweet peas plants are toxic.
Can you eat sweet pea leaves?
All parts of the pea plant are edible. As the pea leaves and stems mature, they tend to get tough and stringy, but when they are young, the pea shoots are not just tender, they are also crisp and tasty. They have a pea-like flavor, but even fresher.
What happens to sweet peas when finished flowering?
The seedpods don’t begin to form until after the flower dies, so the flowers must remain on the plant until they are dead. Treat the rest of the plants in the garden as usual, deadheading to keep them blooming freely all spring.
Do sweet peas reseed themselves?
Sweet peas are annual plants and will readily self-sow. The flowers go to seed if left uncut and form pods that vaguely resemble the pods of edible peas.
Is it too late to pinch out sweet peas?
Garden Know How said: “Once the peas have sprouted to three to four inches high, the seedlings should be thinned to five or six inches (12.5 to 15 cm) apart.” To pinch out wait until sweet peas have grown to between four and eight inches high.
Should I cut the tendrils off sweet peas?
Cutting off the tendrils is not essential, but it does prevent them from getting tangled up with their neighbours and the flower stems. Tendrils wrapped around flower stems result in bent and curly stems that are useless for cutting.
Where do you pinch sweet peas?
To pinch sweet pea plants, wait until they are 4 to 8 inches (10 to 20.5 cm.) high. Take the growing tip between your forefinger and thumbnail and snip the growing tip off using your nail as your blade. Pinching out sweet peas will force the plant hormones called auxins to move to the side or auxiliary tips.
How often do you pinch out sweet peas?
Pinching out sweet peas is not required, but many gardeners choose to do so in order to keep sweet peas short and bushy. Others choose to pinch back sweet peas to stimulate the growth of numerous flower buds. Keep in mind that sweet peas are vining plants and can reach 6 to 9 feet tall.
Are sweet pea flowers poisonous?
Ornamental sweet peas, Lathyrus odoratus, are poisonous and should not be planted near edible peas, Pisum sativum, More information on Lathyrus.
What do you do with sweet peas in the winter?
Sweet peas can withstand temperatures of about -5 at night but will not like to be frozen in their pots all day. If you overdo it and lose the top growth, chances are, if you give them some warmth they will have established enough root to sprout again.
Can sweet peas survive winter?
Sweet peas are a hardy annual, which means they will tolerate cold, even a light frost below if freezing. They are tougher than they look and will take a regular frost down to around -4.
Does picking sweet peas encourage more flowers?
Regular picking will encourage more flowers and prevent plants from setting seed. Water sweet peas growing in pots, and during very dry weather.
What month do sweet peas flower?
Sweet peas are sown and grown from seed or bought as plug plants. If growing from seed, you can sow in autumn (typically October or November) or spring (February to April), and grow on the seedlings into small plants.
How do you make sweet peas flower more?
Sweet peas should have direct sunlight for six to eight hours every day. The more light the plants have, the better they flower. And speaking of light, they prefer long days. The ideal day length is 16 hours, followed by eight hours of darkness.
Elvira Bowen is a food expert who has dedicated her life to understanding the science of cooking. She has worked in some of the world’s most prestigious kitchens, and has published several cookbooks that have become bestsellers. Elvira is known for her creative approach to cuisine, and her passion for teaching others about the culinary arts.