Sweet pea
Lathyrus odoratus
An ornamental plant, sown January to April or October to November.
In September: nothing to do.
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Sweet pea, month by month
Bar: the usual months. Sprout: this month.
| Sowing, planting or job | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | 2027Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sow under cover. | none | usual | usual | none | usual | usual | usual | usual | none | none | none | none |
| Sow outdoors. | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | none | none | none | none |
| Plant out. | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | none | none | none | none |
| Pinch out the tips of the sweet pea (spring-sown plants only). | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | none | none | none | none | none |
| Deadhead the sweet pea. | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual |
| Lower the sweet pea cordons and tie them in further along (cordon-grown Spencer types only). | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | none | usual | usual | usual |
What to do, and when
The usual months for a UK garden. Your own plan gives the week.
Sowing and planting
Sow under cover January to April, and October to November, 1cm deep. Strong source: RHS.
Sow outdoors in April, 2.5cm deep, 20 to 30cm apart. Strong source: RHS.
Pinch out the tips of the sweet pea
For spring-sown plants only.
Pinch off the top just above a healthy leaf; the side shoots that follow grow stronger.
Usually February to March. Strong sources: RHS, Gardeners’ World and Sarah Raven.
Deadhead the sweet pea
Usually June to August. Strong source: RHS.
Lower the sweet pea cordons and tie them in further along
Gardeners call this layering (sweet pea cordon).
For cordon-grown Spencer types only.
Untie them, lay the stems along the ground and retie several canes along, so they don’t outgrow the canes.
Usually June to August. Moderate source: National Sweet Pea Society.
What the source words mean
Strong: the RHS page for this plant is among them.Moderate: another trusted UK source, or the RHS on its group.
Every line above names the page it comes from. Where we found no good source for a job, we left it out. Where the name “Sweet pea” comes from.