This is the method of planting sweet peas that I just learned from NW organic gardener.

nick the outer skin of sweet peas seeds – a large fingernail clipper works…
layer the seeds in wet paper towels…
check daily after 5 days…
as soon as they get their tails, pot each in a 2 inch pot with tails pointing down…
they don’t all tail at the same time so plant them as they do….
make sure the soil is damp, not wet, and wait for first the sprout to break ground before watering again…
then put them in good light, like a sunny window…
no heat mat! peas don’t like bottom heat…
when the seedlings have 3 or 4 sets of leaves pinch the tip…
then harden them off and plant them in the garden…
watch out for slugs…
btw, if after 8 days the seeds haven’t tailed but have swollen, plant them anyway

The same method works for other types of peas (snap peas, snow peas, etc), except that they don’t need to be nicked or pinched. They can also be planted directly in the garden after tailing.

Thanks nw organic gardener!