Sweet Pea Seeds Won’t Sprout? Try the Paper Towel/Baggie Method!

I LOVE sweet peas! The flowers are so gorgeous, and that fragrance!!! Incomparable! Where I live it is impossible to find sweet pea seedlings available for purchase, so I have no choice but to start my own. I met with lots of failure until I finally figured out the secret.  If your sweet pea seeds won’t germinate, try what worked for me….

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Note: sweet peas, Lathyrus odoratus, are NOT edible and are toxic if consumed.

Initial Failures at Growing Sweet Peas

When the time came to plant my sweet pea seeds the first year I tried them I followed the instructions on the seed packet to a “T”. I made a tiny nick in the seed coat. I soaked them overnight. I planted them about an inch deep in solo cups filled with quality seed starting mix. And I waited. And nothing happened. After several days passed I really wanted to know what was going on with those sweet pea seeds! Were they even starting to sprout? My curiosity got the better of me and I decided to do some digging (literally). Gently pushing aside the soil it was clear that none of the seeds were sprouting, they were oddly puffy, and some even seemed to be growing mold. This just wasn’t going to work. I needed to be able to see what was happening with these seeds. Enter the paper towel/baggie method.

The Paper Towel/Baggie Method

I have used the paper towel/baggie method on and off throughout the years for other plant varieties. I realized that it could be the answer to my sweet pea germination problems- and it was. This method is perfect if you are an impatient gardener, like to “see what’s going on”, don’t mind the extra step, and would also be very useful for older seed with questionable viability. With this method there is no need to soak or nick the seed. 

Easy Steps for the Paper Towel/Baggie Method for Seed Germination

1) Use a Sharpie to write the variety name on your sandwich size ziplock bag.
2) Fold a plain white paper towel down to one fold away from your desired size (you will basically be sandwiching the seeds in between with the final fold).
3) Wet the paper towel with purified water and wring it out lightly leaving it damp. If it is dripping it is too wet.
4) Lay the seeds on one half of the paper towel. I usually leave about a half inch space in between seeds. Fold the paper towel over on to the seeds and press down lightly.
5) Carefully insert the paper towel seed bundle into the ziplock. Blow air in to puff up the bag and seal.

Now we wait….

Leave the baggies on the counter at average room temperature and out of direct sunlight. You can peek in on your sweet pea seeds at any time, but usually it will take at least three days for anything to start happening. Open the bags every couple of days to let fresh air in. Sometimes you will see a bit of mold growing. This might not be a bad mold, so don’t immediately throw the seeds away. Give them a chance to germinate. Soon you should see something like this:
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Here’s a quick video showing the sweet pea sprouts. You can also get a good visual of how I folded the paper towel.

Plant the seeds once they have sprouted. I usually wait until they are a bit bigger such as in this picture:

Planting the Sweet Pea Seeds

The sweet pea seeds are now easy to plant into containers such as root trainers or 4 inch pots. Simply bury the seed so it is about an inch below the surface of the soil.  Be careful not to damage the root.   I hope this article helps you with your sweet pea germination problems! For information on where to buy sweet pea seeds check out THIS POST! Once your sweet peas have grown a sturdy root system check out THIS POST for how to plant them in containers that you can grow easily on your patio. And finally, if you are wondering about WHEN to plant your sweet pea seeds, I wrote all about my success with autumn planting HERE.

Thanks for stopping by and feel free to leave questions in the comments section. Don’t forget to join me on Instagram!

Happy growing!!

Heather