They get about 2 m tall and I find they need some staking because they grow so fast in our very warm springs that they tend to fall over. (I seem to remember seeing them staked in Padron as well.) I give them a bit of fertilizer only if the leaves start getting a bit yellow. They really are very big plants. You might want to try some of them in the ground unless you have very large tubs!

The most important thing is to pick them every day once fruiting starts. And they are outrageously hot unless you pick them when they are very small. 5 cm is too long–at least here. In your cooler climate they may not get so hot so fast. Let me know how you do with them.

The beans are becoming a pain. We’ve had them for dinner every day for 2 weeks. I shall have to freeze some!

Kind Regards,

Jan Hartzell

I’ve obviously been lucky with spam. Akismet does a super job. It even works on my other blog, where I get about 250 visitors a day.

On a previous topic…I meant to respond to your meme but the I had several other posts in the queue and never got back to it. I couldn’t think of anything clever to say anyway. I’m not good with those kid of off-the-cuff lists.

I don’t use Akismet so I do get spam. However, since I hold all new comments in moderation, I don’t find it difficult to mark and delete them. WordPress has “mark all” option that lets me deal with a bunch of spam with one swipe. And if someone is really persistent WordPress makes it easy to ban a commenter either by IP address or URL or even phrase (although the last option can have unintended consequences). These spamguard features are one of the reasons I moved to WordPress. When the blog was on Movable Type I had to use a validation box.

I usually plant sweet peas in October. (Always outdoors; I never start them inside.) In a really mild winter they survive and flower in March. But more often they are cut down by frost. Then I think I’ve lost them all and replant them in January. Then some of the ones I thought were dead come back. This year, I did both, and the take-home message, I think, is plant seeds in January because the ones I planted in the fall, died back in the frost, recovered and are only now blooming. The ones planted in January were in flower a month earlier.

Varieties: Old fashioned Spencer ones are pretty good. I used to get them from Thomson and Morgan, but this year I got them from Territorial Seeds and I think they are better. I ordered several varieties. I never buy ones that aren’t labeled ‘fragrant.’ I am also fairly religious about adding legume inoculant (can’t spell it) when I plant them. I was raised with the adage that you can never plant peas too densely, but I think this year I have managed to do it. That hedge of sweet peas is so dense that the fence sways madly in a blast of wind and I’m afraid it’s going to come crashing down!

Yes, you’re right that comment approval solves the spam problem. With WordPress, I find Akismet does a very good job.

Frances at Faire Garden