Friday, April 17, 2009

Pea Brush Post

This year I am trellising or supporting my peas with pea brush, like I did last year. It is a very effective way of supporting peas with minimal effort and at no cost. Simply pick up or cut thin branches that are 3-6 feet depending on your varieties height and stick them in the ground a few inches apart. I am limited on space so I put a double row in that is about 8 inches apart. If you have lots of room you can do a single row and space them as wide as you want. Then just plant your peas against the sticks and they will ramble up them. This method of supporting peas is my favorite and I think it looks pretty good too.

I will be planting Green Arrow Shell Peas on this set. The broad beans will be planted
behind them and then greens/lettuces behind that. Around July the heat will finish
off the pea & broads beans so they will then make way for the poly tunnel that will be
planted with fall crops. Once the greens/lettuce have been harvested around late May
they will be replaced with pole beans.

This pot of pea brush will be planted with Sugar Snap Peas. They have
a fleshy pod that you eat pod and all. I am not sure where I will be placing
them yet, good thing it's mobile.

I will end with some close up photos of the peas that I have growing in the cold frame. I planted them March 27th, they were germinated indoors and then placed in the cold frame after germination. I started them in pots to get a head start on their growth and so the squirrels can't eat all the seed before they sprout. I think this method worked very well so I will continue germinating them this way.

Green Arrow Shell Peas, most are about 2" tall now

Sugar Snap Peas. They are germinating slowly, I am glade I
didn't direct sow these ones.

13 comments:

  1. I like the rustic look yo get with using the brush for trellising, and it's eco friendly.

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  2. I always think of doing it since I have plenty of branches, but I never do. One of my peas is always over 6' tall so if I'm making a trellis I just do the whole thing the same way. I like the look of the pea brush though.

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  3. It does look really pretty Dan. I like that it is fairly tidy and quite long. I am still impressed with that cool suet maker you made. Gonna make me one one of these days too. Sigh. Never enough time.

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  4. That's a good idea for peas, and probably pole beans too.

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  5. The brush supports are nice looking and certainly a economical way to do vertical growing.

    I noted that your sugar snap peas were slow to germinate and get going. I start them indoors myself to get a jump on the spring crops and avoid "missed" spots in the planting area - but I got ZERO germination on the ones I planted. I am beginning to think I was heavy handed and got them too deep in the soil? Either that or a bad batch of seeds (I sure hope not). Going to just direct seed this weekend and hope it is not a bad seed problem.

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  6. Like the idea of using the brush to hold peas ..... what variety you have in your garden.....

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  7. Dan- Any word on the package I mailed you?

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  8. Yes! I went out yesterday to pick a big bunch of pea sticks! I avoided the hawthorn because they were just too prickly!

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  9. Dan -- what a cool way to trellis your peas :-)

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  10. Cheryl - It is very eco friendly, no fossil fuels used.

    Daphne - That is one tall pea.

    Tina - When you find the time the suet feeder is really fast to make. The woodpeckers really love the feeder too.

    EG - I can't take credit for the idea, it is the traditional way of trellising peas. It works well if you have loads of sticks around like to do.

    KitsapFG - I only had about 50% of what I planted germinate. They took almost 2 weeks in warm conditions to germinate.

    Rosemary - I have a little of everything this year.

    Dennis - No package yet. I will drop you a line when it arrives.

    Matron - The prickly one probably wouldn't be very nice although I bet the squirrels wouldn't like them.

    Judy - It is pretty cool and fast to do.

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  11. I also use sticks for my peas, I think it's so natural and great! I finally bought some peat strips (a whole case from Johnny's) and I'll be planting my peas that way next year. I must say, my peas have germinated quite well in my raised bed, the ones in garden soil, not so well.

    I have also found that pea seeds sprout better if used the same year. My seeds left from last year are not germinating very well.

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  12. Chiot's Run - I will have to check out johnny's pea sticks, I have not seen them.

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