[rachelsco]

my first year on allotment over the road from me, im loving it but im not sure about my peas, they are growing great now that ive netted them about a month ago - before that the pigeons were getting them. my netting is dug into the ground, and goes over the pea sticks, but there are alot weeds in the area under the netting with the pea plants, do i have to dig the netting up to weed, or cut holes in it, or just leave the weeds in...

i think the peas are kelvedon wonder and early onward, i put two packets in to an area of about 14 ft by 8ft . is this too many?  thanks for any advice

[DD.]

Any reason why you dug the net in? Mine are just secured with pegs made from old wire coat hangers.

Really the options are yours, but if you cut holes in the netting it's had it! I'd go with digging it up and then pegging it down when you replace it.

Have you broadcast sown the peas, or are they in rows within this area?

[Trillium]

I agree with DD - never cut netting because the pests will find it immediately.

I too would dig up the edges, crawl under to weed, then peg it down or place lots of heavy rocks along the edges so they can't sneak under any loose bits.

[gobs]

Any reason why you dug the net in? Mine are just secured with pegs made from old wire coat hangers.

Really the options are yours, but if you cut holes in the netting it's had it! I'd go with digging it up and then pegging it down when you replace it.

Have you broadcast sown the peas, or are they in rows within this area?

Does have no pegs and did not think of weeding.

[rachelsco]

i dug it in because i saw on here that someone else had dug it in, lol. also i thought it would keep out those pigeons better, as they had decimated them (im suprised they came good at all) .  but i will definately lift it and weed this weekend, thanks for that

[heloise]

I use tent pegs (the metal hooked shaped ones) to pin down the edges of the netting, along with bricks to hold down the sections inbetween. These are easy to move to get under the netting for weeding and then replace.

[Runwell-Steve]

You really need to hold the net down with pegs or rocks.  Having it dug in is going to make it a bit tricky when you pick the peas.

[mashbintater]

Not wishing to put the cat among them,  , I found that my dwarf pea plants suffered more damage netted than not! S&S I think  .

I shifted the netting & the plants improved  .I've only recently shifted the netting on my tall peas, & like my fellow plotter's plots, the pigeons haven't bothered  :blink:

Mash 

 

[DD.]

My tall peas are unnetted, but I found with the "standard" ones, the pigeons were squashing the foliage down to make landing pads! 

[sunshineband]

Maybe that's why mine are all sort of squashed to the ground 

[AnneB]

It's funny how pigeon's taste buds vary.  They don't seem to be interested in peas on our site at all.  However give them a cabbage and they are away........

[mumofstig]

pigeons leave my peas alone.................it's the sparrers that are the problem here 

[Salmo]

I protect my peas in two phases.

At sowing I put a low wire mesh guard over to stop pigeons and sparrows. When they touch to top of the guards I remove them and put bushy pea sticks in place. The pigeons usually leave them alone at this stage.

As soon as the first flower buds show on goes enviromesh to keep out pea moth. I used to be able to remove this once the flowers had all set but the last year or two I have had to leave it in place to keep pigeons off.

[rachelsco]

well thanks for all your comments, i set to and weeded them yesterday, a long job, and a good few pea plants pulled out by accident, but a mountain of weeds :happy:

what i did notice about some of the plants was that they seemed bunched up against the netting, strangled really, i wonder if i put the netting too low . my pea sticks are only about 2 ft high and the netting lays over it. well ill know for next year.

my heart sank to read that there is a pea moth??  what is this, sounds like something else to worry about.......

[DD.]

What variety did you sow?

There are very few that are as short as 2'.

Pea moth, sorry to say is a  bit of a worry. Early sown peas can avoid it or you fleece/Enviromesh them to protect from the moth. The non-organic was is to spray when the peas are in flower.

It's the larva of the moth that does the damage, eating the peas and leaving a load of poo in their place.