The Junior Gardening Club have spent a busy week embracing the challenge of the RHS’ Big Seed Sow (#RHSBigSeedSow). This is a community growing campaign designed to get schools, groups and individuals sowing and sharing seeds. Our gardeners decided that the community they would encourage would be our own school community.

They have spent their lunchtimes filling pots and then, where possible, planting them up with sweet pea seeds with various classes. One of the best lunchtimes was spent with our Early Years children, who planted their own seeds into the pots. Over the course of the week, just shy of 200 pots were planted up and distributed: every child in the Prep department received their own pot, and then the gardeners had great fun visiting the Senior school and administration offices to distribute the remainder of the pots.

For reference, the pots used are ‘Hadopots’, which are recycled, recyclable, re-usable and most importantly oxo-biodegradable (even Mr. Suter had to look this up!). Simply put – oxo-biodegradable pots (which these are) will leave no micro-plastics – they fully biodegrade. 

A warm sunny windowsill will suffice for these sweet peas for the next few weeks. Keep them moist – don’t let them dry out. When the last risks of frost have passed and the plants are well established, plant them out with something to support them – they like to climb. Cut the flowers regularly to encourage new growth, and then at the end of the season let the last few flowers turn to seeds – you will then have next year’s seed supply!