Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: RJR_38 on February 15, 2017, 17:06

Title: Support for mange tout/peas
Post by: RJR_38 on February 15, 2017, 17:06
What support systems do people use for their mange tour and peas? Every year my mange tout seem to her too heavy and pull down the system I built for them and they lay horizontally for a week or so until I get back down to the plot and the slugs have had a nibble! I want to try peas for the first time this year as well. I plant in fairly big beds rather than long rows - what would people recommend?T
Title: Re: Support for mange tout/peas
Post by: DD. on February 15, 2017, 17:40
Ah-ha! A chance to drag this thread up again.

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=50902.0
Title: Re: Support for mange tout/peas
Post by: mumofstig on February 15, 2017, 17:43
For the tall peas I put up a cane frame, just as I do for runner beans, but with the canes further apart. Then I tie strings backwards and forwards between the canes up to about 3ft high.
Once they have grown that high I add more strings as they grow.

For the short ones I do the same as DD. the method is the same, just shorter rows for me.

http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=50902.msg602767#msg602767

 :lol: :lol: :lol: SNAP!
Title: Re: Support for mange tout/peas
Post by: RJR_38 on February 15, 2017, 18:23
I have done something similar to what you have said DD for the past 2 years and I must be doing it wrong as it just seems to collapse on itself. The strings start to sag and then it all falls over. I have used hessian twine so maybe ai need to use different twine.

It has worked well for broad beans but they seem to be more self supporting anyway. Mum of stig what sort of cane frame do you use? My runner beans grow up 2 wig wams that are joined across like a bridge and that works really well- but then you only need a few runner bean plants!

Title: Re: Support for mange tout/peas
Post by: DD. on February 15, 2017, 18:46
You really need to use something like polypropylene twine. Doesn't stretch or sag when it gets wet - and with care you can re-use it many times.
Title: Re: Support for mange tout/peas
Post by: RJR_38 on February 15, 2017, 18:50
You really need to use something like polypropylene twine. Doesn't stretch or sag when it gets wet - and with care you can re-use it many times.

Maybe this is where I have gone wrong! I didn't really think about it until I reailsed that year you specifically mentioned the type of twine you used. Off to do some online shopping...
Title: Re: Support for mange tout/peas
Post by: DIGGER on February 16, 2017, 13:17
I think D D Peas must be some sight when in full flower . I grow a few rows and like most of my plot it's based on beg steel and borrow.At the moment  I use some old chain link fencing stretched and held by some rods.
It works even though last year I fell on it
Title: Re: Support for mange tout/peas
Post by: sunshineband on February 16, 2017, 14:56
I think D D Peas must be some sight when in full flower . I grow a few rows and like most of my plot it's based on beg steel and borrow.At the moment  I use some old chain link fencing stretched and held by some rods.
It works even though last year I fell on it

Do you just rip off the old haulms from the netting then, at the end of the season?
Title: Re: Support for mange tout/peas
Post by: RJR_38 on February 16, 2017, 15:00
I just spent £8.60 in 1kg of the polypropylene twine. Think that will keep me going forever more  :lol:
Title: Re: Support for mange tout/peas
Post by: DIGGER on February 16, 2017, 15:02
I think D D Peas must be some sight when in full flower . I grow a few rows and like most of my plot it's based on beg steel and borrow.At the moment  I use some old chain link fencing stretched and held by some rods.
It works even though last year I fell on it

Do you just rip off the old haulms from the netting then, at the end of the season?

Same as runner beans really. I snip of at the bottom then leave for a week till they shrivell and pull of ,leave roots in ground.
I do take short cuts that the more proffesional allotment types would shake there head at.

Title: Re: Support for mange tout/peas
Post by: Jackypam on February 16, 2017, 17:27
Old trellis panels shortened to chop off the rotten bits and with wooden stakes screwed in to stick into the ground. Easy to move around,stored behind the shed when not in use.   Works ok for me
Title: Re: Support for mange tout/peas
Post by: JayG on February 16, 2017, 18:57
I just spent £8.60 in 1kg of the polypropylene twine. Think that will keep me going forever more  :lol:

Money well spent!

Only type of twine which didn't work for me was a braided blue 'washing line' type which disintegrated last year leaving some of the runner beans on my Munty frame hanging in mid air!
Title: Re: Support for mange tout/peas
Post by: sunshineband on February 16, 2017, 22:36
I just spent £8.60 in 1kg of the polypropylene twine. Think that will keep me going forever more  :lol:

Crikey Moses ... that's a big roll!!!
Title: Re: Support for mange tout/peas
Post by: RJR_38 on February 17, 2017, 07:38
I know but a half kilo was only a tiny bit cheaper. This should be approx 750m which will keep me going for quite a while
Title: Re: Support for mange tout/peas
Post by: victoria park on February 17, 2017, 15:36
On occasion, I would like to be more organised with these sort of structures, but never get around to it.
I might be a bit old fashioned, but I quite like the pea stick thing. Wouldn't work for larger crops obviously, but I tend to grow 3 smaller crops during the year, so it sort of works..
Sometimes I do string my main biggest crop and it definitely cuts down on the maintenance.
The jute things rot far too quickly, and I don't really want to use the modern twines, so I use good old fashioned string, from a wilko, and prop up the sags with a forked twig or two.
Title: Re: Support for mange tout/peas
Post by: Jackypam on February 20, 2017, 23:55
Wilco have normal size rolls which do a couple of munty frames in stock for 50p :)
Title: Re: Support for mange tout/peas
Post by: ghost61 on February 21, 2017, 13:10
We prune our trees yearly and use the pruning so as pea sticks.  We grow about 7-8'rows, 3m long each row.  They work a treat and after the peas have been picked the twigs that are past it are shredded and used on the allotment paths.

For the mange tout we use a small A frame with black netting stretched across as they grow higher than the peas.
Title: Re: Support for mange tout/peas
Post by: RJR_38 on February 21, 2017, 18:26
Thanks for all the ideas. I think my problem has obviously been using the wrong string and the fact that I can often only go at weekends means that sometimes sags have got so big over the course of a week they have turned into full-on collapses from which there is no coming back from!

We also have such a huge array of wildlife here that things have to be fairly robust (I have seen squirrels running along my runner bean frame for example). We also have muntjac deer which may not always eat crops but definitley wander in the beds as we see them and their footprints. They are so cute it is hard to get cross with them...