Peas - how do you grow yours?

[Teds Mum]

That's been pretty much our experience of peas too - the crop amounts to a few pods at a time that get scoffed as gardening snacks. I'm hoping that by growing mangetout we might do better.

[Muddy_Boots]

My pea growing solution from my allotment Guru

Ok like all your painful pea growing stories I too have tried and failed to grow this retched vegetable with only minuscule limited success that's not even enough for one meal from a single row.

Last year I decided to ask my allotment guru who I'm quite able to ask questions, about how come he grows peas and they never get attacked by the rats with wings and he never has to net them, here was his advice which I've used for my winter peas and they are growing untouched and are without a net.

1. Plant the seeds as instructed.
2. At each end put a peg with a piece of horizontal wood with nails in it (I'll post a picture of it later).
3. Tie black cotton to the first nail and then stretch it along the row going back and forth from each nail.
4. When the seedlings are above 6 inches height put canes in along either side and use the garden hemp string to stop them flopping over to give extra support.

The principle behind using the black cotton is that the winged rats walk up to your peas thinking they are in for an easy feast, they can't see the cotton but soon as the feel it they move away because they are scared they will get caught up in an invisible barrier and be trapped. They only try once and leave them alone, soon as your peas are above head height for them they leave them alone anyway as they prefer the growing tips of the pea plant and being lazy bug*ers they prefer to walk and not try flying up to get at the prize.

Hope that gives you an easy solution to one we all have to suffer, the dreaded rats with wings.

Edited just realised I had posted my two rows of winter peas on my other thread so adding it here, I only have chicken wire either side to deter the domestic cats from the nearby houses from crossing over the cotton and possibly breaking it.

[Snoop Puss]

^Brilliant. I'll try this this year. Thanks.

[Muddy_Boots]

OK for those that are interested here is the pic of the magic piece of wood with the nails in it, place one at each end of the row and use black cotton strung from one end to the other from each matching nail.

When the peas reach the cotton just leave it in place and place canes along each sides of the row and use string (I'm using hemp string) to wrap around each cane to keep the peas growing upright together so they won't need any more support.

The beauty of this is you don't need dead sticks or branches or netting at all and when they are finished after removing the canes everything can go into the compost, pea plants, cotton and hemp string will all compost down. I'm planning to put the canes in tomorrow and I will show this process so you can picture what is needed to be done.

[SarrissUK]

What a clever idea! I will try that too! Thank you!

[Bumblingbroccoli]

Will it deter pigeons ? Rats not the issue it's birds...

[Muddy_Boots]

Will it deter pigeons ? Rats not the issue it's birds...

lol 'Rats with wings' are the pigeons

[Mr H]

OK for those that are interested here is the pic of the magic piece of wood with the nails in it, place one at each end of the row and use black cotton strung from one end to the other from each matching nail.

When the peas reach the cotton just leave it in place and place canes along each sides of the row and use string (I'm using hemp string) to wrap around each cane to keep the peas growing upright together so they won't need any more support.

The beauty of this is you don't need dead sticks or branches or netting at all and when they are finished after removing the canes everything can go into the compost, pea plants, cotton and hemp string will all compost down. I'm planning to put the canes in tomorrow and I will show this process so you can picture what is needed to be done.

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Love this idea. I've tried the green plastic netting when we grew peas in the garden a few years back. Cleaning the netting at the end of the season really put me off. I like the thought of this all being compostable afterwards.
Will have to try this if I get a chance this year.

Thank you.

[bikermike]

I tried to grow them up canes last year - didn't work, so I'm going for chicken wire this year - put a polu up at each end in the middle and run a vertical piece of chickenwire up the middle of the bed, peas on each side and beetroot round the outside.

Never had a real problem with them being eaten before, but there's always a first time. Will net them for pea moth anyway. (do they need to be exposed to allow pollination?)

[Thelma Sanders]

Will net them for pea moth anyway. (do they need to be exposed to allow pollination?)

No, luckily, they self pollinate

[Muddy_Boots]

OK posting my final pics of the canes in place with hemp string running the length of both rows so you can see how its done, the black cotton is still in place and is there as support still and to deter the pigeons. Once the peas reach the height of the top of the hemp string I will add more as they grow to stop them flopping over.

After cropping the string can be cut so the canes can be removed and reused and plants, string, cotton can be composted together without the pain of trying to get the plants off your supports. Used the chicken wire last year and it was a pain in the bum trying to remove it when the plants had finished.