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Bean/Pea support question

earlydazeearlydaze Posts: 105
in Fruit & veg
have tried searching but not seen this answered previously- am planning on turning old chicken run area into veg patch. It is fenced off by some very heavy duty trellis panels- the slats are 65mm wide- I was thinking of growing beans and peas under these- my question is that too wide for the tendrils to grasp? also am curious how heavy mature plants are- will they pull on the trellis? many thanks

Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited February 2021
    Bean plants don’t have tendrils ... the main stem twines upwards in a spiral, so needs a cane or pole to wind itself around.  Also bean plants are 7+ ft tall and carry a lot of foliage which can catch the wind so the support needs to be fixed securely. 

    This explains it better https://www.allotment-garden.org/vegetable/runner-beans-growing/supporting-runner-climbing-beans/


    Pea plants have tendrils and tend to ‘scramble’ upwards and over things. An ‘A’ frame shape works well so I’d either fix some branched ‘pea sticks’ against the trellis or perhaps fix some pea netting at an angle against it. Otherwise you may well need to tie the pea plants to the trellis. 


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    edited February 2021
    I find they (peas in particular) need thin supports, such as netting or chicken wire, so perhaps you could attach something like that to the fence?  The plants can be quite heavy but shouldn't be heavy enough to worry a trellis which is in a good state of repair.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • earlydazeearlydaze Posts: 105
    many thanks- there actually is chicken wire running against it at moment from chicken days.... so will leave that in place
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