How to Pick Sweet Pea Seeds

Overview

As a member of the legume family, sweet peas are prized for their sweeter taste over other pea varieties. Once you find a sweet pea plant you like that grows well in your area, ensuring the seeds will be available each year is important. Picking and saving the sweet pea seeds is cheaper than buying seeds each spring and you can rest easy knowing your favorite variety is available to plant. Sweet peas require very little work to pick and they store well.

Step 1

Allow sweet pea pods to mature fully on the vine. Choose the healthiest plant to pick seeds from and allow at least 10 pods to mature.

Step 2

Pick the pods once they begin to turn brown and dry out. Wait for the seeds to rattle inside the pod, indicating that they are fully mature.

Step 3

Spread the pods out in a well-ventilated, warm room to dry for 2 weeks. Make sure they are spread in an even layer and aren't touching each other.

Step 4

Split open the pods and remove the sweet peas. Check for any insect or disease damage on each individual pea and discard any damaged ones.

Step 5

Label a jar with the sweet pea variety and year harvested. Place the peas inside and screw the lid on tightly. Store inside the refrigerator until ready to plant.