[Clover]

Would anyone be kind enough to post a photo of a convenient way to protect tall (summer) peas from the birds.

I've searched but I cannot find.

Thanks.

[DD.]

This doesn't show the protection, but this is how I stake my peas & it's a simple matter to throw some netting over the stakes.

[Clover]

Thanks very much DD

Actually I saw yours already and strummed through your blog looking for others.  But what kind of peas are they?  I'd assumed those must be dwarf.  The supports seem really short for tall varieties.

My Alderman packet say they'll reach seven feet or so.  They didn't last year but then they didn't seem to approve of my canes and string.

but if I have a better year I was thinking they might grow as high as in the photo here top right or is that unusual?
http://www.victoriananursery.co.uk/vegetable_seeds/pea_seed_victorian_colossal_climbing/

[DD.]

Ah tall - tall!

These are Kelvedon Wonder, I've grown tall peas (Champion Of England), but at home where pigeons aren't a problem.

Have you had problems with birds & tall peas? I get problems with the smaller peas with pigeons squashing the foiliage down to make a landing pad. I wouldn't have thought thy could do this with Alderman.

[Clover]

I think about 90% of my Alderman peas were eaten, most likely by birds - feathers were in evidence.

I've no problem at all protecting my early dwarves.

I'm wondering whether the TALL ones are worthwhile out in the open.  I suppose they're easier for home production with a wall or something to grow up, but I was hoping for longer production and the ones that made it to the dinner plate were so lovely.

What baffles me is some plot-holders have them growing up strong plastic netting without any protection at all and they seem to have crops.  It's most mysterious.  I'd ask them, but I never ever coincide with their visits.

[slowcompost]

I'm going to invest in debris netting and blue water tubing to make  clotches this year.  You can get debris netting at 3mt wide which should give good potential  for making screens around tall peas.

[MoreWhisky]

I used DD method with net and it works fine. Next plot used that orange tape fence that comes in a roll (like u find on building sites) and i did spot pidgeons flatting the peas down inside and landing and having a feast.

Supported netting is defo the way to go.

[Salmo]

Pigeons like to land and walk up to peas. They are so lazy that they only jump up if there are no peas near the ground. I wonder of the peas grown up nets do not give them a stable perching platform, eapecially if the netting is a bit saggy?

[MoreWhisky]

My netting is held down with lots of metal tent peg things. Easy to pull and put back when i need to get under tent, and they can pull the net tight when put back in.
Theres loads of pidgeons nr me and i dont have a problem.

[viettaclark]

Debris netting can be brilliant for brassicas to prevent most pests getting in but doesn't it also stop the insect pollinators for flowering crops such as legumes?

[DD.]

Runner beans & dwarf beans don't need protection from birds.

Peas are self-pollinating.

[Swing Swang]

My method:

Plant pre-chitted seed early (late Feb/earcy March) under large cloches.
When they get too tall for the cloches use orange builders netting or lots of 8' bean poles/canes that are 'crossed' half way up their length rather than at the tops for them to grow up.
Grow a mange-tout or sugar snap variety.
Never had a significant problem with birds.

Your problem with birds on tall varieties - are they nipping out the sweet growing shoots (I tend to take a fair proportion of these for salads in any case), the immature pods (they seem to grow so fast that a few lost to birds don't significantly affect my harvest), the mature peas (which I can't comment on because I never grow my peas to maturity), or do they just completely smash up your plants (oh dear)?

SS

[Clover]

A lot of suggestions there, thanks. 

I had thought of the debris netting, but it seems a bit elaborate to secure it so tall (6 or 7 feet) and with it flapping around......I'm very wind-swept.

The netting where the tall peas don't get eaten is that very firm thick plastic stuff fixed permanently so it's not that it's too loose for them to hold onto.

Me no like mange tout - it's the mature peas my birds like and who can blame them, they're sweet.

Like I said - no problem protecting shorter peas as the DD method.  I use sticks, netting plus iron bars at the base to secure and stop walk abouts.

I'm not sure very tall peas grow well up criss-crossed canes (are you sure they're TALL) because they seem to have a very upright habit.  My canes leaned inward in a rack, just like for beans last year and they climbed about 3 or 4 feet and then refused to follow the sticks and string and swayed around instead.

In the end I think we're very much talking at cross purposes here, which is why a photo would be most handy if anyone has one.

[Swing Swang]

Clover,

I think that my peas were pretty tall - have you got a taller variety? I prefer the taller varieties for mange tout because they seem to crop over a longer period than the smaller varieties:



Picture taken on June 1st 2009. Two sowings three weeks apart (there's a path betwwe the peas in the foreground and those in the background). The peas on the right hand side of the top picture are the same as those on the left hand side of the bottom picture. Canes 8' long, so about 7'tall. Support a cross between the two methods outlined in previous post: criss-crossed 8' canes about 24" apart. Horizontal 'ridge' along the intersection. Orange builders netting (most of which obscured by peas) threaded through ridge. Lower edge of net pegged to ground to stop wind damage.

We're probably talking at cross purposes because my peas don't have any protection as such once the cloches get taken off, unless of course orange netting and poles act as some sort of deterrent.

SS

[Swing Swang]

An earlier picture (4 April 09):