I can tell you that I WS'd some (before I should have, in retrospect--newbie mistake) and they are coming up without soaking.

Would I be wise just to direct sow these sweet peas? Are they pretty hardy plants that they could survive now if I direct sow them before last chance of frost which is probably about end of April here?

I've not grown sweet peas before, but I've read that they don't transplant well. So direct sowing might be the better choice (or maybe try the winter sow "in situ" method with milk jug tops over where you plant them). I really can't speak to their frost tolerance.

I had three seeds and I direct sowed them shortly after the snow left and the ground was thawed for a couple of inches. I haven't looked to see if they've sprouted. It's still cold out.

The ÂRoyal Family Mix is so pretty. I think I'll order some next year!

I winter-sowed some sweet pea seeds earlier in March, and have some sprouts just popping up now. Some helpful posters on the WS forum told me about sweet peas dislike for transplanting, so I sowed them in newspaper pots, t.p. roll pots and paper towel pots. Then I put the pots in a milk jug outside. Once they're ready to plant out, I can just put the whole newspaper pot in the ground. Just got sprouts on my Sweet Pea 'High Scent' today.

I asked the same thing about soaking or nicking them, and the WS'ers reminded me they don't need soaking if they're being winter sown!

I'm pretty sure sweet pea seedlings can handle a light frost, but maybe not a hard frost? We're probably going to have a hard frost here in PA Friday night (below 28 degrees F for about 10 hours), so I may cover my sprouted sweet pea jugs with a blankie just in case.

I have winter sown (early April) sweet peas (annual and perennial) without soaking, and transplanted them into pots without a problem. Last year I was a bit late (late April) and soaked them because of the shortened freeze/thaw period and they grew well and were transplanted into pots and the ground without a problem. In your zone, you could probably direct sow them now, but I would soak them (maybe 24 hours) just in case. One of my favourite plants.

northerner, that's a good point that sweet pea seeds winter-sown now in Zone 7 (I guess technically we're spring sowing now since it's officially spring) may not get enough of a freeze/thaw period to loosen the seed coats on the sweet pea? I noticed when I sowed mine that their seed coats seem really hard and thick.