SWEET PEAS FOR WINTER

Otago Witness, Issue 4042, 1 September 1931, Page 11

SWEET PEAS FOR WINTER

CULTURE IN THE COOL GREENHOUSE.

It is very pleasant to be able to gather a bunch of sweet peas in the winter or early spring, and the culture of the plants in a cool house presents no serious difficulty. The class of house is not important, provided the situation is open and the plants are not too far from the glass during the early stages of growth. If the peas are to be grown on the floor, and the structure is of the span-roof type, borders may be formed at the base of the two waifs, the plants being subsequently trained under the roof on an improvised trellis. -A fair depth of soil—l Bin to 2ft is not too much—should be provided, and the compost carefully prepared. Three parts good loam to one part flaky leaf soil, old manure, and sharp sand is a good mixture, and one that, allied to judicious feeding at the proper time, should ensure good results. WHEN TO SOW THE SEED.

The best time for sowing .the seed is during the period mid-August to midSeptember. Seeds may be sown in their permanent quarters, or in pots or boxes; and transplanted later. For indoor culture we much prefer the former method, as plants recover less easily from a check, however slight it may be, during the waning summer than they do in springtime. Sweet peas do not grow so sturdily during the winter under glass as they do in the open garden during summer, and, therefore, they should be planted rather closely together, say, six inches from plant to plant. Sow at the same,depth as is customary for outdoor culture, and copiously water the soil immediately before and again after sowing. The border must be adequately drained by the use of potsherds, broken bricks, etc., for a stagnant condition of the soil is particularly deleterious to winter-grown sweet peas. The house must be freely ventilated, and doors and ventilators left wide open until autumn is fairly advanced, when “ top ” air will prove sufficient. An important matter for consideration is that of artificial warmth. From the beginning of October throughout the winter and early spring a minimum night temperature of 45deg. may be mantained, and by the use of this‘temperature some early flowers may be gathered. At the same time, it should be clearly understood that sweet peas may be grown without the use of heat, but under such conditions flowers must not be expected before the early spring, unless the winter-should prove to be a very mild one. GENERAL MANAGEMENT.

Severe thinning should not be practised, but rather should a more or less natural growth be encouraged, with just sufficient manipulation to prevent congestion or overcrowding. The routine work will consist of careful watering—a uniformly moist state of the soil must be the objective—careful and regular ventilation, and due attention to training.

Gather the blooms regularly, and so encourage a good growth of flowers.— O. A. G., in Amateur Gardening.