Sweet Peas are care-free plants with a bubbly personality and are loved by gardeners the country over, and are a popular addition to our range of flower seeds. Whether scrambling over arches above an entrance to a path or planted around obelisks set in borders, these are beautiful plants.
Are peas a seed?
The pea is most commonly the small spherical seed or the seed-pod of the flowering plant species Pisum sativum. Each pod contains several peas, which can be green or yellow. Botanically, pea pods are fruit, since they contain seeds and develop from the ovary of a (pea) flower.
What are sweet peas considered?
Peas are in the group of foods known as legumes. Legumes are plants that produce pods with seeds, or beans, inside.
Do sweet peas come from the flower?
The sweet pea—Lathyrus odoratus—is an annual flower that is at home in a cutting garden, border garden, woodland, or twining on a trellis or an arch. The flowers are now available in a huge range of colors, from pearly white through ice cream pastels to ritzy magentas and inky purples.
Is sweet pea a flower or a vegetable?
The sweet pea (Lathyrus odoratus) is a hardy annual flower in the legume family, Fabaceae. Although related to the green pea (Pisum sativum), they are not the same. The sweet pea is a climbing plant, which produces sturdy flower-filled stems along the vine, making them an excellent cut flower.
How do you get seeds from sweet peas?
Saving sweet pea seeds
Seed can be collected in early September. Leave the seed pods on the plants until they have turned a paper bag colour. Collect them on a dry day, remove them from their pods and store in paper bags in a dry place until you a ready to sow them.
How do you get seeds from peas?
Harvesting. If pea pods are not completely dry before the first frost, pull the plants up, root first, and hang them in a cool, dry location until the pods are brown and dry. When the pea pods are completely dry, break them open to release the seeds.
Are sweet peas toxic to dogs?
Keeping in mind that fruits and vegetables are not necessary to a dog’s diet and should be thought of as an occasional treat, peas are not toxic or poisonous to dogs.
Can you eat sweet pea flowers?
Only vegetable pea flowers can be eaten, not sweet pea flowers which are toxic. The petals can be added to salads, or cooked slightly and sweetened for a treat.
Are sweet peas toxic to cats?
If you suspect your cat has ingested the everlasting pea in any quantity, take it to the vet immediately even if it is not showing symptoms. The everlasting pea plant, also called the sweet pea and the perennial pea, is a member of the Fabaceae family, which is toxic to domestic animals and horses.
What do you do with sweet peas after they have flowered?
Cut down your sweet peas when they finish flowering, but leave the roots in the ground as they have little nodules on them which will add nitrogen to your soil.
How long do sweet pea plants last?
one year
Sweet peas are a summer flowering annual. This means that they germinate, grow, flower, set seed and die all in one year and have to be re-grown each year.
Do sweet peas only flower once?
There are annual and perennial types of sweet pea flowers. The annuals, Lathyrus odoratus, are usually highly fragrant climbers that last for one season and have to be sown fresh every year. The perennial or ‘everlasting’ types, Lathyrus latifolius, come back every spring, but most have little to no scent.
Can you eat sweet pea seeds?
Sweet peas will keep flowering if you pick the flowers regularly – a good excuse to have some beautiful flowers in your home. Remember- sweet pea seed pods look similar to edible pea pods but they are poisonous and must not be eaten.
Why is it called a sweet pea?
Sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) derive their name from the Greek lathyros for pea or pulse, and the Latin odoratus, meaning fragrant. The types of sweet pea we grow in our English flower farm are exclusive to us – we’ve carefully cultivated them from our own seed over the last 28 years.
Can you eat sweet peas raw?
Garden peas are sometimes called sweet peas or English peas. The pods are firm and rounded, but you must shell them, remove the peas inside, then discard the pods before eating. The peas are sweet and may be eaten raw or cooked; these are the peas you typically see canned or in the freezer section.
Should you remove pods from sweet peas?
Once your sweet pea plants are in full flower make sure that you dead-head them and remove seed pods as soon as possible to encourage more blooms to be produced.
Do sweet peas grow back every year?
Sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) only live for a year, dying after setting seed. But don’t let this put you off as they are super easy to grow from seed. Perennial species such as Lathyrus latifolius come back year after year, but mostly lack fragrance and there are fewer to choose from.
When should I plant sweet pea seeds?
You can start sweet peas off early with an autumn sowing. You simply need somewhere cool but frost-free to keep them over winter. Most people sow the seeds in spring once the weather starts to warm up. Usually the seeds are sown indoors and then planted out in the garden.
Can you grow peas from a pea?
Peas are so easy to grow and it’s also really easy to start seed saving to sow the following year. You can save pea seed from any of your pea pods! We grow lots of sweet peas so we will have lots for eating later on; they are one of our favourite vegetables.
Do peas grow true to seed?
It is best to save seeds from heritage or open pollinated varieties, as these will come true to the variety sown. You can save seeds from F1 hybrids, but they will not come true to the variety and the results will be very variable. When saving seeds of peas and beans, the method is the same.