Sweet Peas misbehaving?

[1Bee]

About a month ago I sowed about 20+ sweet pea seeds..... and one has germinated.

I'm a bit bemused, as I've never had a problem before. Usual conditions, good seed in its sow by date, good supplier... They've been on a cool windowsill, and after a week I popped one lot into the heated propagator, but the only one that germinated was outside this.

Should I keep waiting or try again? What went wrong?

They've always been foolproof for me.

[nickdub]

Have you had a gentle poke around in the compost to see whether they've rotted or not ?

[Martin H]

When mine have failed it's because they have rotted. These days I sow them very shallow - just barely covered - into compost that is moist but not soaking. Then I keep them cool but not cold until they germinate.

In the past I've tried pre-soaking them and I've tried chipping bits off the coat. I don't think either of those made much difference.

I would try again, if they were going to grow they probably would have by now. But no harm in a poke about first, see if you can diagnose the problem.

[Thelma Sanders]

Yes, I'd go with too wet as well, they certainly don't need any heat to germinate.
I let the compost take up as much water as it wants, from standing in a tray - then don't water again until they're up.
If they look as if they really are drying out, the most they get would be a light misting from a spray bottle.

[1Bee]

Thanks all. Will check them out and then try again.

[mothhawk]

I chit all my sweet peas - it's the only way I can get them to grow. I put them in a clear sided lidded container on damp kitchen roll. This morning I threw out one lot that haven't chitted at all after 3 weeks. It was old seed though - sow by 2014. Everything dated sow by 2017+ is chitting, so for me, very old seed doesn't work.

[annie8]

I’m growing sweet peas for the first time. Sowed two types in my unheated greenhouse in mid Feb. One kind started coming through a few weeks ago but the other ones have been slower. Just starting to come through in the last few days. I just assumed they were a bit slow.