Do-it-yourself supports for peas: photo of how to make a support

There are several ways to tie peas in the garden. Most varieties need support; you can build it with your own hands from available materials.

Why do peas need support?

Peas have weak stems and can maintain an upright position without support only up to 30 cm. After this, the shoots continue to grow in length up to 3 m, but lie to the ground under their own weight and under the weight of the pods.

It is impossible to leave the culture in this position for several reasons:

• shoots lying on the ground do not receive enough light and oxygen;
• the stems are intertwined, making harvesting difficult;
• in a horizontal position, shoots and leaves are more often affected by fungal diseases and pests;
• the pods lying on the ground under the cover of green mass become overripe, after which the bush ends its growing season ahead of schedule and begins to dry out.

If you build comfortable supports for the peas and carefully tie up the stems, the plant will be able to receive enough sun and air. The beans will ripen evenly, the fruits will be juicy and sugary.

When gartering peas, you need to place the stems at some distance from each other.

When to tie up peas in the garden

Peas should be tied in accordance with real need. They usually focus not on timing and weather conditions, but on the height of the plants. The peas begin to lie down after they grow to about 30 cm. At this point, they should be fixed on supports, and it is advisable to tie them even earlier, when the height of the bush is about 15-20 cm.

How to properly tie peas in open ground

Pea gartering in the garden is carried out in many ways. Which one to choose depends on personal preference and convenience. But in the process you need to follow several rules:

1. Most pea varieties have tendrils designed specifically for clinging to vertical surfaces. For such plants, garter ropes do not need to be used. If fixation is still necessary for the bush, then the material should be used as a soft fabric that does not injure the shoots.
2. When placing pea stems on supports, leave gaps of 20-30 cm between them. Otherwise, the shoots, even in a vertical position, will intertwine and interfere with each other’s growth.
3. To construct the supports, use only healthy and clean wooden stakes and boards without signs of rotting or pests.Infections during staking can spread from the trellises to the peas, and as a result the crop will suffer greatly.
4. It is not advisable to use untreated branches of rapidly growing trees to install supports. Willow stakes in particular are a bad option. When placed in the garden, they can take root on their own and become saplings.

Tall varieties require a garter. But photos of do-it-yourself pea trellises show that low varieties are also usually fixed. They are less prone to lodging, but under the weight of the pods they still bend towards the ground.

Interesting solutions for supports for peas

As supports, you can use ordinary ready-made meshes or home-made structures. It is important that the structure for the garter is suitable in size for the peas, does not impede harvesting and does not shade the plant from the sun's rays.

Stakes

The simplest option for supporting peas in the garden is stakes driven into the bed at a short distance from each other. As a material, you can use not only branches of trees and shrubs, but also plastic pipes. As the bushes grow, they are fixed on supports in several places to support them in an upright position.

The height of the stakes is selected in accordance with the maximum length of pea stems

Net

A convenient option for gartering peas is a ready-made mesh. It is usually used in conjunction with trellises or stakes - the material is stretched on supports and the stems are fixed in the cells.

Garter nets are made of materials that are not subject to rotting, so they perform their functions for many years. Cell sizes can be different - options with sockets of 45, 150, 170 mm are popular. Some nets are designed to withstand low temperatures and can remain in the garden throughout the winter, while others need to be put away for storage at the end of the season.

For gartering peas, you can use the same nets as for cucumbers, beans and other plants.

Trellis

A trellis is the most common support option for gartering peas. The structure consists of two poles driven into the ground at the ends of the legume bed, and a mesh or wire stretched between them.

Photos of trellises for peas in open ground show that supports for tall varieties should rise at least 2 m above the ground, and for low-growing ones - 1.5 m. When stretching wire or strong cords between the posts, gaps of about 15 cm are left between the levels.

When tied on a trellis, peas receive full sunlight and air.

Hut

Several “huts” can be built in the beds as a support for peas. Long wooden poles are dug into the ground at an angle opposite each other and fastened at the tops. For reliability, longitudinal strips can be installed on the sides of the “hut”. For growing pea stems, tie them to inclined vertical poles in several places from 30 cm above the ground to the very top.

The disadvantages of the “hut” design include poor stability in strong winds

Wigwam

The support for the “wigwam” garter is similar in design to the “hut”, but is a little more complicated. To construct it, take 5-7 poles of the same length and dig them into the ground at an angle in a circle, and then fasten the tops. When using the structure, growing peas rise up the sticks, and over time the “wigwam” turns into a green cone.

The “wigwam” support is installed in the garden before sowing peas, since the seeds need to be planted in a circle at the base

Bicycle rim

A support using metal rims from a bicycle is also built before sowing pea seeds. The diagram looks like this:

1. One of the circles is laid on the garden bed.
2. A wooden plank or iron rod 1.5-2 m high is installed in the center.
3. At the top, a second bicycle rim is attached to the end of the support.
4. Thick threads or ropes are stretched vertically between two circles.

The legume crop is sown along the line of the lower rim and, as the bushes grow, the stems are tied to the stretched threads. You can place several homemade supports on the garden bed; you need to leave at least 50 cm of free space between them.

The advantage of a support made from bicycle rims is that it is easy to move from bed to bed.

Fence

If you don’t have the time or opportunity to build a complex structure for a garter, you can simply plant the crop close to a wooden fence. In this case, the growing peas, as they develop, will cling to the pickets or rods with their tendrils.

You can use a fence as a support only if it is located in a sunny area. It is not recommended to sow peas in the shade - the crop will develop poorly.

Peas planted along the fence not only receive support themselves, but also beautifully decorate the fence

DIY pea support

The construction of a support for gartering peas in open ground usually does not cause any particular difficulties. The designs are very simple and require the use of inexpensive materials.

Support for peas made of polypropylene pipes

You can make a support for gartering peas from strong and durable polypropylene pipes left over from home renovations. The algorithm looks like this:

1. Select several pipes of the same length and diameter with careful trimming.
2. Install supports in the garden according to one of the schemes in the form of a wigwam, hut, trellis or other structure.
3. Connect the poles together.

Polypropylene pipes are especially convenient because they can not be tied together, but can be fastened together using inexpensive plastic fittings. The design will be very reliable and at the same time neat. Using pipes it is possible to build a support of any shape and complexity.

Polypropylene pipes are lightweight, so they need to be dug deeper into the ground so that the support does not fall

DIY portable pea trellis

It is not recommended to grow peas in the same place for more than a year. Therefore, it is convenient to build a light, portable trellis for gartering the crop; when the time comes, it can be moved to a new area. The support is made according to this scheme:

1. Four poles about 1.5-2 m in length are connected in pairs to each other at an angle using screws and horizontal slats at the base.
2. The resulting triangular shapes are spread to different ends of the bed and fastened at the bottom and top using long transverse bars.
3. Tie twine or thick cords to horizontal slats at intervals of about 20-30 cm.

Pea seeds are sown along the base of the trellis so that the sprouts rise close to the stretched pieces of twine. After the stems of the crop reach 30 cm or more, they are tied with soft cloth.

For long beds, you can make several compact trellises and place them next to each other

Support stakes

It is convenient to use stakes for gartering in small beds, where the construction of a complex structure does not make sense. The supports are installed like this:

1. Dig long stakes into the ground at a distance of 20-30 cm from each other.
2. Check that the supports are held firmly enough and will not fall to the ground under gusts of wind or when the soil is washed away during watering.
3. Sow peas in the garden bed, trying to place the seeds closer to the installed supports for the garter.
4. As the shoots develop, they are fixed on stakes with soft tapes every 20-30 cm.

Wooden poles for gartering are convenient because, if necessary, they can be installed on the beds even after the peas have germinated.

You can place the stakes in the pea bed in rows, circles or in a checkerboard pattern as desired.

Wigwam

The support structure “wigwam” looks very beautiful in the garden and performs not only practical, but also decorative functions. They do it like this:

1. A wooden pole or metal rod about 2 m high is dug in the center of the bed.
2. At a distance of 70 cm from it, stakes are placed at equal intervals.
3. The side parts of the “wigwam” are leaned against the central rod at an angle of about 60 degrees.
4. Fasten all the stakes together at the top with twine, wire or fittings.

It is better to sow peas in the garden after the construction of the “wigwam” in order to place the seeds clearly in a circle at the base of the structure.

The internal diameter of the wigwam support should be about 1 m

Common Mistakes

Staking peas rarely causes problems for gardeners. But there are several common mistakes that can hinder the development of culture:

1. Construction of the structure after planting peas. Some supports, for example, stakes, can be dug into the bed when the shoots have sprouted. But trellises, huts and wigwams must be installed before sowing the seeds, otherwise there is a risk of damaging the young bushes.
2. Use of metal rods and profiles. Iron structures become very hot in the sun and can leave burns on pea shoots and leaves. You can use metal supports for garters, but only to strengthen a trellis or wigwam. They should not come into direct contact with the plant.
3. Unstable installation of the structure. Trellis, huts and other supports must be properly secured to the surface of the earth so that they do not fall even in strong winds. It is recommended not just to place the structure on top of the garden bed, but to dig it securely into the ground.

When tying pea stems, you cannot use rigid cords, fabrics, and especially wire. This leads to broken shoots and slower growth of bushes.

Conclusion

You can tie peas in the garden to ordinary trellises or more complex structures. It’s easy to build them in the garden, but attention needs to be paid to the strength of the supports and the quality of fixation of the stems.

Recommended Posts

What can be planted next to peas in the same bed?

Chickpeas and peas: what is the difference, which is healthier, which is better

Control of pests and diseases of peas

Planting peas in open ground with seeds in spring: photos and videos

How long and how to soak peas before planting in open ground

Vegetable peas Alpha: description of the variety, taste, yield

Vegetable peas Oscar Agro: description of the variety with photos

Vegetable peas Ambrosia: description of the variety, planting

Pea microgreens: cultivation, benefits, how to germinate