Pea Trellis http://www.durgan.org/URL/?TrellisP 12 April 2009 Trellis for supporting peas. This trellis is convenient for supporting pea vines. I found chicken wire and string to be not convenient. The support is concrete reinforcing mesh, painted with tremclad anti-rust paint, supported by 5 or 6 foot fence posts and held in place with plastic ties. At season's end the vines are easy to remove from the mesh, which is a plus.
I had never thought of using concrete reinforcing wire as a trellis. This year I am planning on making some tomato cages out of it
I made cages once by cutting in two foot lengths and four feet high and making the cages square and holding together with plastic ties. They folded flat for storage. I found they were not satisfactory, and I used them for about three years. The wire is far too stiff to make into a circle, which is not entirely suitable if tried, since I found a tapered cylinderical cage is almost mandatory. There are four tier tapered cages relatively strong gauge on the market that are almost suitable for tomato supports. I now use these for my tomatoes along with an eight foot rebar to hold the cage, and to tie the tomato plant if it gets too tall, which it usually does. There is never the perfect tomato support.
When your were trying to make to tomato cages were you using concrete reinforcing wire that came on a roll or was it flat? I would think that it would be much easier if you used the stuff that came in a roll.
I was thinking of buying a roll of the stuff. I would hate to buy it and then find it too difficult to work with. Now I don't really know what to do. I have never seen those large tomato cages here, all they have is those little useless two tiered ones, that are really only good for determinate tomatoes.
Up to a dozen or so plants a very good support is a structure of steel fence posts and lay a piece of 4 by 8 reinforcing wire on top, about seven feet off the ground. The tomato vines are then supported by tying using clothesline rope around the plant limbs and held using plastic ties. This I have used successfully, but it entails a bit of work each day. It become tedious if more than 12 plants are involved and if they are in any way crowded. I grow about 30 plants, mostly for experimenting, so the four tier cage is sort of a compromise, and serves the purpose more or less. This year I bought a few of those spiral type from the dollar store and will give them a try as an experiment. The price was right, but I don't have much confidence in them. In retrospect, the tapered cage if manufactured properly of strong gauge wire, and supported by rebar is as close to ideal as one can get. For the cherry type tomatoes, I find a flat vertical 4 by 8 sheet supported by fence posts on either side is almost perfect.
I've seen those spiral type supports and wondered how they would do. I've only seen them at Lee Valley and they were very expensive. I will look forward to hearing how they do. I have always just used lots of stakes and just tied my tomatoes to them. I usually need multiple stakes per plant and I was hoping to find something easier. I wonder how buffalo wire would work. It's like page wire for pigs, but is much stronger.
Planting Peas http://www.durgan.org/URL/?Lpeas 15 April 2009 Planting peas. Lincoln peas were planted 2 inch spacing, about 2 inches deep and packed slightly and watered. Peas germinate in cool temperatures approximately 16 degrees C.
