Sweet pea

Plant family

Legumes (Fabaceae)

Season Overview

Details

Light requirement

Semi-shaded

Water requirement

Wet

Soil

Medium (loamy)

Nutrient requirement

Medium

Seeding distance

40 cm

Row spacing

30 cm

Seeding depth

5 cm

Instructions

Description

The sweet pea or sweet pea belongs to the legume family (Fabaceae). It produces blue-purple to pinkish-pink and white flowers that are wonderfully fragrant. The pea pods of this annual climbing plant are not edible and are used only for seed harvesting (wear gloves when harvesting as the seeds contain toxins). The flowers contain many essential oils that are used for cosmetics. It is also grown as an ornamental and fragrant plant and cut flower and grows up to 1.6 m tall.

Growing tips

Germination of seeds after about 2 weeks at 15°C. The seeds do not germinate for a long time. Pile up seedlings after a few weeks, protect with fleece in case of frost, as they are sensitive to frost. Fragrant wild pea is perfect as a climbing pot plant for planting on sparse trellises such as pergolas, fences, balconies or simply free-standing poles. It can also climb facades as long as they are not exposed to full midday sun, but there it usually does not have enough room for its lush growth. Regular removal of the flowers will prolong the blooming period. It can also be used as a green manure. Pre-growing is possible but not recommended. It does not like waterlogging and drafts. Observe crop rotation.