Saturday, November 19, 2011

How much space (depth and width) would I need for my sweet peas?

I am planning on growing sweet peas along the wall of my house and am going to sow the seeds in long wooden planters - in light of this what do you recommend the size of these planters to be?

How much space (depth and width) would I need for my sweet peas?
Last year, I had started sweetpeas in a plastic window box. It was about 7inches high X 5inches wide and 2 1/2 feet long. By the time they were 1/2foot tall their roots were congested('rootbound') with each other and had reached well to the bottom.It was a tangled mess and they couldn't be transplanted. So i suppose you must build a bit deeper than I did. I am trying sweetpeas again this year since they grow so well from seed. I already have several well on their way and planted in a garden bed with a 6' trellis behind them. It is important to have something for them to support themselves on at a very low height. My trellis goes all the way to ground level. Some ppl start at 1foot but that would not be good for these plants. Hope i helped some. This is only my second year gardenin %26amp; I'm still just learning.
Reply:That is probably a trial and error type of consideration.


You must allow probably 9" to 12" indepth. That allows for plenty of room for the roots. I would also go with the same size for the width. If you make have one too small and need it bigger then you have a size issues.


If you look at the sizes on this link you can get a general idea.


http://www.bytheyard.net/planters-c-10.h...


and


http://www.calibex.com/balcony-planter/z...


They all appear to be 9" deep or more.





Edited: You need to consider the size being next to the house which will dwarf the looks of planter if not appropriate in size.
Reply:Well as far as depth an average window box depth of about 8 or 9 in. will be fine, Sweet peas are an annual and traditionally shallow rooted. Length depends on how much wall you are trying to cover. your real thing is going to be height I have been very successful with mine and have had vines over 10 feet tall. so on top of your container you need something for them to climb up. Make sure that what ever it is that it is secure, my first attempt at sweet peas was a success but the trellis was not secure and the weight of the vines kept pulling it down over time because it became so top heavy. Good luck.
Reply:You can use small windowbox-sized boxes if you like. I'd say a minimum of 5-6 inches deep and across...and as long as you like. If you use bigger boxes, they won't need to be watered as often. They small ones you'll need to water every day.
Reply:I've never grown sweet peas in containers, but I wouldn't imagine they need much room at all. I used to grow regular peas in a window box - you could probably use something just as small. Although if you get something bigger of course you could put in some nice bedding plants too - that's up to you.


Basically, I reckon anything will do, as long as you keep them fed and watered : )


No comments:

Post a Comment