Sweet Peas

Is anyone else suffering from a prolonged invasion of the house fly this autumn? Whilst I may not live in hospital style sterile conditions I consider my home to be clean, yet the fly population this year seems to persist in hanging on much longer than usual. We have put the usual sticky traps around the kitchen which have effectively reduced the population swiftly, but no sooner than we have decided the situation is under control and taken down the traps, the next wave arrive. Whilst the glowing blue light zapper I bought and installed, lags behind the effectiveness of the basic sticky strip, yet with both in action the problem continues into November.

I have to confess to living next to a dairy farm and so expect a greater diversity and volume of bug life, that enjoy hanging around cows and cowpats, and that is the price I pay for living in a rural part of the countryside. Or maybe, I have to move my recently installed wormery a little further away from the back door. Hopefully, a cooler spell of weather will soon arrive and the invasion will retreat to their overwintering pupae.

Wet days, when the garden is inaccessible is becoming more common in November, so tasks for the garden shed or greenhouse can be welcome. There are just some days when I feel I have to have to go something in the garden, however small. There is no better time to plant Sweet Peas than in the autumn, to allow them to germinate slowly making a strong root system over winter. Seeds should be planted into a good potting compost such as John Innes Seed and Cutting  – plant 1 seed to a 3 inch (8cm) pot or 6 to 8 seeds to a 6 inch (15cm) pot. Place the pots in a cold frame or greenhouse and cover them with newspaper until the seedlings have germinated. If you leave your planting to January or February your seedlings may need a little gentle heat to germinate. Make sure you stop the heat as soon as germination has occurred, otherwise your plants will get leggy.

If you have problems with germination consider soaking the seed overnight before sowing (and only sow those that have swollen). Overwinter your seedlings in a cold frame or cold greenhouse, bringing them up as hard as possible. Take precautions against slugs, snails, mice and birds (also cats who may find them to be a tempting bed). Watch out for bad weather – when frosts are forecast, your seedlings will need some extra protection. Close the frame’s lights and add some lagging (eg newspaper, bubble wrap, sacking etc). If the weather is particularly cold or the frosts prolonged, leave the lagging on to allow the seedlings to thaw slowly. When the first four leaves have formed, nip out the top two leaves to encourage bushiness. Do not forget to keep your plants moist if the weather is dry.

From our experience in the Learning Garden this summer we liked the following varieties-Gwendoline (pink), Hunter’s Moon (creamy white), High Scent (creamy white with a purple edge) and finally a great stalwart Winston Churchill (deep red). Plant them now for an early crop next summer. Consider a spring sowing for a succession of flowers through the summer.