Help with my sweetpeas please!

What am I doing wrong? Sping 07, I just chucked them in the ground and they all came up lovely with loads of flowers. This spring I left it a bit late and got none.
So, I've planted some this autumn for next year, but it's not going well :(
I planted them 19th oct in newspaper tubes, watered them and put them on a cool windowsill. I've got 1 weedy seedling and the rest are being taken over by white fluff! I've only watered them once more since I planted.
What have I done wrong and is there time to sort it out?
Thanks
Ellena

 

Here's my recipe for fabulous sweetpeas

1, Sow seed at the end of January. under cover.. normal seed sowing compost, 4 inch pots
2, When 3 or 4 leaves prick out the tips
3, plant out when a wee bit bigger... early May?
4, Put in an airy, sunny place, not against a wall
5, Keep well watered.. never, ever let them dry out!
6, Tie the stems to the growing frame/strings, especially when small
7, Enjoy.... first flowers by mid June

"Spencer mixed" are always a reliable stain, I find some of the named varieties more tempremental.

So, No if anything you're way too early, i've never found Autumn sowings an advantage, not only are you more prone to mould and fungal infection (as you have found) I find that the plants are too leggy in the spring!

BTW... never "chuck" anything in.. plant with love! ;0)

 

" What have I done wrong and is there time to sort it out?"

I soak my seed in a little pot overnight. The ones that have swelled I "move on", the ones that have not I leave soaking.

I then put them in a little pot with damp kitchen paper below, and above, the seeds. I put some water in the pot once or twice a day, and immediately pour away any that I can - i.e. to make the kitchen paper wet, but not so the seeds are sitting in water.

Keep the germinating seeds at 60-70F / 15-20C

Once the root has appeared I prick them out, one per pot and move them to the conservatory. Mine look like weedy seedlings, and they were planted round about 19th October.

I would dig one or two of yours up. If they have got a root already I would replant them, and leave the rest alone. If not I think I would dig up more, and put the seeds into little pots as above. Or you could leave them be, buy some more seed and try the above.

"i've never found Autumn sowings an advantage"

For me it reduces the number of things I have to do, and frees up some indoor growing space, in the Spring.

 

Was waiting for Kristen to come along and defend autumn planting of sweetpeas!

 

Happy to oblige!

 

You have to post pics next Spring when your sweet peas are blooming before anyone else's :thumb:

 

My autumn sown sweetpeas always seem to look weedy while they are waiting to be put out into the garden. I don't fuss over them nor give them any special heat treatment, normally I just set the seed (after a good soak) into trays on a window cill.

Once the seedlings appear they go outside in my cold frame, I'll keep pinching them out until it's safe to plant out next year and then the 'weedy' seedlings will be ready to find their feet and get cracking! Hel.xxx.