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Growing Sweet Peas:Sweet peas need a spot in full sun with very well drained, rich soil and good air circulation to prevent mildew. If your soil is has a lot of clay, it's critical to work in lots of extra organic material for better drainage. If the soil is very soggy, consider raised beds for good results.If you know that summer weather gets hot very quickly, sow your sweet peas in a location that will get some afternoon shade. Read the seed packet instructions carefully, because proper spacing of plants is important for good results. Seedlings should be protected from slugs and snails. If marauding seed and seedling eating birds are problem, use netting suspended over seedlings until they are 4 to 5 inches tall.A critical factor for all sweet peas is adequate water. Be sure to water germinating seeds, seedlings, and actively growing mature vines regularly if summer rain is not adequate to keep them evenly moist. If you put your finger into the soil bed to its first joint and the soil is dry: water them.Sweet peas are heavy feeders, so amend soil well before planting with lots of rich compost or well-rotted manure. During the growing season, fertilize at least twice with a good soil drench of tablespoon each of fish emulsion and liquid kelp per gallon of water. (Sweet peas grown in containers will need regular fertilization every few weeks.)Sweet peas can be susceptible to aphids -- wash them off with regular blasts of water. Thrips, an occasional problem, can be effectively controlled with sticky phernome traps that are interspaced amongst the vines to attract and trap them. Good air circulation and avoiding watering in the late afternoon and evening will help prevent mildew ( until the plants succumb to it naturally at the end of their bloom period.)All the tall vining varieties will climb naturally on just about any vertical support system. They will grow up strings, netting, wire or wooden fencing, or just about any kind of trellis. You can also use tall branches left over from tree pruning driven into the soil. Since the tendrils cannot twine around thick poles like bamboo, wrap twine or netting around them so tendrils can grip. In very hot areas like Texas, it's probably best to avoid wire fencing. Erect your well anchored supports before you plant the seeds or when they are a few inches tall.Sweet pea seeds will germinate in a range from 75 to 85 %. There is always a small percentage that are dormant, allowing Mother Nature a safety zone in the wild if weather conditions are poor. To leave out the dormant seeds, soak the seeds no more than overnight in tap water before planting and only plant the ones that have swelled. For the very best germination rates, do not soak, but nick the seeds to allow moisture to enter the seed coat. To do this, use nail clippers to simply make a small slice in the outside seed coating -- no need to gouge out a piece, just allow an opening for moisture to enter naturally. This nicking process takes some extra time but it will guarantee great germination.Sow seeds 1 inch deep and two to 3 inches apart. Seeds take anywhere from 10 to 28 days to germinate completely, depending on weather and soil temperature. If your sweet peas do not germinate well, dig down to see if the seeds are still there. If they have rotted or been eaten, plant more right away as they will catch up quickly. When seedlings are several inches tall, it's very important to thin seedlings to stand about 5- 6 inches apart so that plants have room to grow and mature. When seedlings have three or four sets of leaves, pinch off the top set to encourage plants to branch out. Keep sweet pea vines evenly moist, avoiding big shifts in soil moisture during active growing. Mulching is a good strategy.The best way to have the longest season of glorious bloom is to pick bouquets early and often -- the more you pick the more flowers you will have and the later the plants will go to seed and die back. Harvest stems of blossoms often when the lowest blossom on each stem just beginning to open. As the season progresses, stems will become shorter, but flowers are still full-size and lovely.