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How to Sow Sweet Peas in Root Trainers | Stronger Plants and Better Flowers UK Guide
Feb 22, 2026
This video shows how to sow sweet pea seeds in root trainers to produce stronger plants and better flowering displays. I explain why deep containers help root development, how to sow correctly, and the simple steps needed for successful germination.
I also share tips on watering, light, and when to move seedlings on so they establish quickly and grow into healthy climbing plants. A practical guide for gardeners wanting reliable results and long lasting blooms.
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0:00
Let's sew our sweet peas for 2026.
0:03
Welcome to Gardening with Ben,
0:04
everybody. And in today's episode, we're
0:06
going to be sewing our sweet peas. Now,
0:09
the thing is with sweet peas is that
0:10
they've got a hard shell on them. So,
0:12
they don't always germinate very well.
0:14
So, you need to help soften that shell
0:16
up. So, what we're going to do is we're
0:17
going to put them in some room
0:19
temperature water, let them soak for 12
0:21
hours, and then we're going to sew them.
0:23
So, we're uh doing this video over two
0:26
days and yeah, we're going to get these
0:29
sewn today. We've got some root trainers
0:31
from Oakland Gardens, which we got
0:33
given. So, we're going to plant them in
0:35
them. And the best thing about root
0:37
trainers is that the deep and sweet peas
0:40
love deep roots. So, they'll grow well
0:43
in there. And then once they're ready,
0:45
you can split the root trainer apart and
0:47
get the plant out with a root attached
0:49
and then plant them. you're not damaging
0:51
the roots by trying to get them out of
0:53
the tubs. And it's great time to start
0:57
the sweet peas off now because they will
1:00
grow strong and healthy. With it being
1:02
cold, they forcing their energy into
1:04
growing and it makes them a bit tougher
1:06
and stronger and yeah, hopefully get
1:09
some great flowers on them and they
1:10
attract the pollinators. They attract
1:12
the bees, the butterflies, the
1:13
hoverflies. So more wildlife to your a
1:16
lotment, which is perfect. That'll help
1:18
with pollinating your fruit and your
1:20
vegetables. So, yeah, let's get these
1:22
sewn. Let's get them growing and see how
1:24
well they grow. So, we put ours to soak.
1:27
It's not clean water. It's rain water
1:29
this. So, it is probably room
1:32
temperature water. It shouldn't be too
1:34
bad, but yeah, it'll be fine water. So,
1:36
hopefully it'll help soften the shelves
1:39
up and we'll be able to plant them
1:41
tomorrow. So, yeah, make sure you come
1:43
back tomorrow and we'll continue with
1:45
sewing these off.
1:49
So, welcome back to day two of sewing
1:51
the seeds. So, we have got these root
1:54
trainers from Oakland Garden. As you can
1:56
see, they're absolutely deep, which
1:58
sweet peas love when they grow and they
2:01
need nice deep roots. And there's
2:03
drainage in the bottom, and they're not
2:05
cheap, tacky root trainers either.
2:07
They're really strong and sturdy. And
2:09
they split apart so that you can get the
2:12
plants out nice and easy. And these are
2:13
from Oakland Gardens Limited. So yeah,
2:16
check them out and get some root
2:18
trainers which will last you years. Now
2:20
you can fit quite a few in the trays. So
2:23
we need to clip them all together and
2:25
get compost in them ready for sewing the
2:27
seeds.
2:29
So I've clipped the 12 together and
2:31
we've put them in. We've got plenty in
2:33
there. 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 cells to sew
2:40
seeds in. So yeah, we've got about 60
2:42
seeds. So we're going to probably put a
2:44
couple some of them. And yeah, let's get
2:47
them filled with compost, ready for
2:49
sewing the sweet pea seeds.
2:52
So, that's all the compost in. We filled
2:53
them up near enough to the top so that
2:55
we can get a couple in. And yeah, let's
2:58
get all the seeds in and then covered
3:00
over and watered. Okay, so the seeds
3:03
have so soaked for about 24 hours now.
3:07
So, they'll be ready for planting.
3:10
Hopefully, they'll be soft enough. But
3:11
yeah, we need to try and get these out
3:13
without losing them all. So, let's get
3:15
them out and we'll put one in each one
3:17
for the time being and then we might
3:18
have to put two in some of them. So,
3:20
yeah, let's just space them out.
3:25
So, we've got our seeds in. We've had to
3:27
put two in each one because we've got
3:29
that many seeds they filled. Uh we had
3:32
to fit space in them. So, yeah, now is
3:35
the time to cover them with compost and
3:38
then we'll give them a good watering
3:40
after that.
3:44
So that's all them covered. So now we
3:46
need to give them a good water and pop
3:49
them away to start germinating.
3:53
The best thing about these is they come
3:54
with propagator lids. So it keeps them a
3:57
bit warmer. We'll close that for the
3:59
time being. Keep them damp. But yeah,
4:01
we're going to pop these in our mini
4:04
greenhouse because we've not got enough
4:06
room on his windowill at home
4:10
and get them in here because
4:12
obviously you've got to be careful with
4:14
sweet peas growing on window because
4:16
they can grow leggy. I've seen so many
4:19
pictures of people with leggy sweet peas
4:23
which isn't good cuz you don't want
4:26
leggy sweet peas. So, we're going to pop
4:29
them in here.
4:32
down at the pot. Hopefully they start
4:35
germinating,
4:37
keep them warm
4:39
and keep them growing.
4:43
So yeah, that is the sweet peas.
4:46
Hopefully they all grow.
4:49
So I hope you've enjoyed that video on
4:50
how to sew sweet peas and hopefully get
4:53
a great crop of flowers down at the
4:55
aotment come summertime. And yeah, we'll
4:59
be harvesting them every few days to
5:01
keep us vases topped up and smelling
5:04
sweet in the house. So, drop us a follow
5:07
to stay up to date and see them bloom in
5:09
summer. Until next time everyone,
5:11
remember, keep smiling, keep shining,
5:13
and keep gardening.
#Home & Garden
#Home & Garden