Wigwam: edible peas & beans with sweetpeas?

[Quite Contrary]

Hello everyone

We have built a large wigwam/teepee to grow peas & beans on which will be like a little hideout for the children too. (i posted about it a few months ago when I was originally thinking of doing it)

Anyway. I have some peas, runner beans, climbing beans and mange tout ready to plant aroung the 10 poles. As a total rookie I have no idea what I am actually doing!! I have some seeds started already. Should I plant a couple per pole?

Do mange tout actually climb? or are they more of a plant like dwarf beans?

Also, I have some sweet pea seeds to plant to climb up it too which I thought would be pretty. I have heard that the pods on these are poisonous if eaten. I understand if I dead head them and cut the flowers they will not produce pods, and that they will also look very different to the edible pods, is this right? Will it be obvious to me?

Can I plant maybe sweet pea seeds and runner bean seeds on the same pole? I want it to look nice and 'full'.

Hoping this won't be a disaster!!

Thank you in advance

[zazen999]

I'd keep them separate personally...

[Alison]

Peas and mange tout are a right pain together as they look very similar (unless you have varieties that are a different colour) and you end up picking the wrong one very easily. Sweet peas do indeed look different, the pods are kind of hairy and the seeds are much smaller even when mature. I grow sweet peas and runner / french beans together with no problems as I like the look of them although the sweet peas (like all peas) don't cling to the pole like the beans do and you have to tie them in.

[Florence Fennel]

I don't grow them together because I would hate for my grandchildren to pick the wrong pods if I wasn't around, they are completely different, but I wouldn't trust the children to differentiate.

[Bren In Pots]

I agree with you there Flo.

[Kaiya]

Anyway. I have some peas, runner beans, climbing beans and mange tout ready to plant aroung the 10 poles. As a total rookie I have no idea what I am actually doing!! I have some seeds started already. Should I plant a couple per pole?

I planted mine mangetout when they were over 6-8 inches tall - they were too tall but I had to wait for barely reasonably weather. The peas and sweet peas went out the same day but were a more sensible 4-5 inches. I left the roots about 4 inches apart - but mine are around a cage rather than a wigwam.

Do mange tout actually climb? or are they more of a plant like dwarf beans?

Never grown dwarf beans but if planted close enough they will support each other sort of, though I didn't like it as the resultant thicket protected slugs and hampered harvest. They support themselves by tendrils (as do sweet peas and peas) so hang on to netting and thin twigs but not poles.

Also, I have some sweet pea seeds to plant to climb up it too which I thought would be pretty. I have heard that the pods on these are poisonous if eaten. I understand if I dead head them and cut the flowers they will not produce pods, and that they will also look very different to the edible pods, is this right? Will it be obvious to me?

I have sweet peas interplanted with my peas and mangetout, but I don't have kids and it's not a hideout The pods are different - as Alison said, hairy, but it depends on the children. I had a single pea plant in a ramble of sweet peas last year, and was fine differentiating the peas, but I'm a groan up.