An excellent way to start off sweet peas, is to use a piece of old guttering.

• Fill the gutter with compost and place seeds at appropriate intervals (3cm apart). They can be sown from March to May
• Place the piece of guttering at a slight angle so that excess water will drain away.
• Keep well watered and when the seedlings have reached a height of 5-6 inches they can be planted out.
• The advantage of using plastic guttering is that it becomes easy to plant out. Just push the seedlings out of the guttering and drop into a hole and the appropriate planting distance.
• Growing in plastic guttering makes it easier to protect the vulnerable seedlings from slugs and snails. They can also be grow indoors to give the seedlings a head start.
• Sweet peas grow long roots and need a deep pot