RE: Sweet Peas

Gayle, 
     I start a few hundred Sweetpeas (both annual & perennial types) in my greenhouse in March every year because the Bluejays pull the sprouts out of the ground in my garden until they are about 3" tall and then they leave them alone.  Growing them to 3" indoors and then planting them outside works for me. 
    Here are a few things that could be wrong with your crop:
Sweetpeas are cold/cool weather growers - perhaps its to warm in your kitchen causing them to stretch and become thin & pale.
Did you condition your Sweetpeas to the colder outside temperature and air movement before planting them outside?  A week in a cool coldframe with the lid open will help toughen them up.
Have you fertilized your Sweetpeas?  A dose of fish emulsion fertilizer once a week is important for continued good growth.
Have you pinched your Sweetpeas so they have multiple thicker stems?
Were you careful not to injure the roots when transplanting your Sweetpeas?
   
    I'm sure others have suggestions too, but if worse comes to worse, you can always direct sow another batch now.

Marilyn Dube'
Natural Designs Nursery 
Portland, OR 

 
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-perennials@mallorn.com [mailto:owner-perennials@mallorn.com]On Behalf Of Gayle Hincks
Sent: Tuesday, May 01, 2001 8:06 AM
To: perennials@mallorn.com
Subject: Sweet Peas

Help,  I know that technically Sweet peas are not perennials!  But I carefully nurtured them through the end of the long cold maine winter in my kitchen.  I transplanted some of them outside last week.  Both the outdoor and indoor plants are now turning a very pale green color and their leaves are becoming "crispy" and falling off.  Help - what am I doing wrong!
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