[luckypurplebutterfly]

I have sown peas directly in the ground twice this year (the first lot didn't show any signs of growing) of the second lot a few have started to grow and are a few inches high. I have started some extras indoors and will plant them out this weekend.

Do my peas still need protecting with netting or do they just need something to climb up but without netting to protect them?

thanks

[thestens]

Never had to net mine just some sticks to support them. Best not smooth sticks but with a few branches on them so the tendrils can fasten on.

[mumofstig]

They will need something to climb up, or rest against.
some allotments have problems with pigeons. If yours does, they will need netting for protection.

There's a useful guide to peas here
http://chat.allotment-garden.org/index.php?topic=50902.msg602767#msg602767

[Willow_Warren]

My first lot got mullered by pigeons, I had to put some netting around them to protect!  They did recover though (phew...)

Damn pigeons seem to be everwhere!  They quite often dance on my roof when I'm sleeping, honestly you'd think it was elephants with the noise they make!

Hannah

[savbo]

I got away without netting for past 3 years (apart from covering the seedlings) but this year the pigeons are reaching up 2' and eating the shoots so I've had to net the whole thing off. Good job I'm not growing 132' of peas, would cost me a fortune....

sav

[rachelsco]

it was my first year on the allotment last year, and i planted peas out three times, before realising it was the pgeons pullling them out and nibbling the growing shoot.  i thought they were just not germinating or something.  this year i netted straight away after sowing about 6 weeks ago, they have all come thru and are looking good. it seems that on my site anyway they leave them alone after getting to about 10 inches or so in height.

ive just taken the netting off because their tendrills were beginning to clutch onto it, so they're on their own now, fingers crossed the pigeons have forgotten about them

[allot2learn]

We don't need to net as we have a pair of crows nesting on site. They swoop down and attack any pigeons and what they don't chase off the resident family of foxes have. I find a bunch of feathers most mornings but no carcass.