Staking the Peas

The snow peas I plant definitely benefit from staking. Besides helping to keep the plants upright, it also makes it easier to pick the pods.

I don't do anything too fancy, but it helps that I have certain tools at my disposal thanks to the pasture fence I maintain for the horses.

For most of my staking I use t-posts. Even the tomato cages get the t-post treatment to help them stay upright. For the size of my plants and the wind that can pick up in storms they hold up quite well. And like I said, I happen to have some handy tools around the place, like the heavy-duty post pounder pictured above.

Plastic hay twine is what I use. It doesn't degrade quickly like some of the natural fiber stuff, and technically I'm recycling because otherwise I would just throw it away after taking it off the hay bales for the horses.

When I first start a support system I gently fold the plants all to one side so I can run the line straight. Then I gently fold them back over the bottom line before stringing the second one back over the row.

From there I pass a few more lines back and forth and start teasing the plants to climb up. I usually check every other day to guide the tendrils to the twine. Before long they are climbing mostly on their own, and just in time for the first harvest of the pods.