Netting for Peas help

[Mudandspud]

Hi everyone...

I have "Douce Provence" peas growing nicely Only a few inches high and a net thrown over the top for short term protection. Now Im going to make the blue water pipe style frame for netting as they are going to grow taller but how tall will this variety of pea grow? I have no idea!

[Nicos]

Around a couple of feet. Max 3ft

depends on what you feed them with!

[Richard Eldritch]

Homebase have some good anti insect mesh at the moment. Peas are hard predict, they can grow massively over the claimed size. I once grew Alderman climbing peas that reached over 10 ft high!

[Nicos]

^^^^^^^^ 10ft??

looks like an idea for the Vine competition...the tallest pea plant- never mind the tallest sunflower!!

[KevinM67]

I hope I don't come across as a moany git - but netting peas is another reason why I'm not growing them again.

I tried various ways in the past, but the plants always seem to attach themselves to the netting - making it extremely difficult to lift it to do any picking, weeding, etc without damaging or nearly lifting the plants.

There must be an art to netting peas that gets round this problem, that I am obviously missing

[Nicos]

We use a length of wire sheep netting held up with posts knocked into the ground at each end of the rows.

As it's metal, at the end of the season you can be as rough with it as you like to yank off the plants. Then just stick it in a bonfire for a couple of mins to burn off the last bits.

Our mesh is now in it's 6 th year here and still going strong.

And the bonus is that birds and hedgehogs don't get caught up in it either !

Simples!!!

[Alison]

I think we're talking about different types of netting here. You don't need to net over peas (unless you have a pea beetle (or whatever they're called) problem but you do need to provide support for them to climb up. I mainly grow tall peas and support mine using that stiff plastic grid stuff that comes in rolls with bamboo canes through it to support it in the middle and at the ends of 4' rows. If I then needed to net I'd put something fine over the top but that would need to be something you could remove for picking etc where as the support stuff is fine until the end of the season.

[KevinM67]

Nicos - I presume the holes in the sheep netting allow you to get your hand through to pick the peas (and the weeds).

If so, does it deter birds?

[KevinM67]

Sorry Alison - maybe I'm getting confused here.

Although I provided support structures for the peas, I had to use netting to deter mainly birds from scoffing the plants.

The plants then attach themselves to the netting - resulting in hassle when trying to lift it.

[Alison]

Sorry Alison - maybe I'm getting confused here.

Although I provided support structures for the peas, I had to use netting to deter mainly birds from scoffing the plants.

The plants then attach themselves to the netting - resulting in hassle when trying to lift it.

Never had birds causing problems with my peas (I think they're too busy eating my brassicas and soft fruit) so can't help on that one.


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[Penellype]

If it is birds that are the problem, try hanging something bright from the support netting. I use good old fashioned milk bottle tops as they also make a noise in the wind, but bits of tin foil or old CDs will do the job.

[kathyd]

Debris netting is quite easy to use - doesn't tangle or twist, so it's simple to throw up over the hoops for access. Must admit I don't net my peas though, although I net almost everything else in the early stages to protect from cats and chickens.

[Bren In Pots]

I use debris netting to cover my peas otherwise its gets busier than the bird feeders.