Long Live This DIY Pea Trellis
Every year we grow peas and we’ve tried many different pea trellises. Many variations such as tipis and stakes along the garden beds with strings inter-woven generally working fine, but somehow at the end of every season I tell myself there must be something better. They must be something stronger for all the tiny tendrils to hold onto without pulling too much weight on the trellises. There has to be something we can use every year without weaving and unweaving strings . A movable trellis which can travel throughout the garden, year after year following your crop rotation plan.
Here is what I came to, this is a better, long lived DIY Pea Trellis which works so well and the best part is at the end of the season there is no untangling, just simply remove the plants and move it to the next bed when you close in the fall.
The size of this Pea Trellis is 7’ tall and 4’ wide, based on a garden bed of 2 ft width with a 2ft path in between. The trellis can be taller and smaller, it depends on your pea variety.I built an8ft trellis for our Mammoth pea variety and I noticed it is difficult to harvest the top section. We had to use a ladder to reach at this height.
Materials you will need:
4 – cedar 2×4” in 7’ 2 – cedar 1×4” in 4’
2 pieces of fencing wire 4’ wide and 7’ long
Fencing nails
3’ strong wire
Some 2” nails
Hammer
Saw
Wire Cutters
NOTE: I like to use our local red Cedar, because of its long life and the way it turns grey and withstands our weather conditions.
1. Cut each of the ends of the 2×4’s at a 15 degree angle. One side of the angle cut is for the top and the other is for the bottom to have a good grip in the ground. If you lean them onto each other they make a 30 degree angle which is perfect for garden beds of 2’ width, with a 2’ path in between.
2.Lay 2 of the 2×4’s flat on the ground. Position the fencing wire on top and fasten it with the fencing nails. Make sure all is parallel. For stability reasons don’t skimp on the fencing nails.
3. Flip this structure around and get 2 of the 1×4’s. Lay them across the soon- to- be trellis and nail them down at a 90 degree angle to the 2×4’s.
4. Do step 2. and 4. for the other side of the trellis.
5. Lay the two pieces exactly on top of each other. The fencing wire goes on the outside.
6. Take strong wire and cut up pieces in 5’ inch lengths. Make and bend these wire rings and loop the top of the trellis together, not too tight, there needs to be a bit of a play.
7. Stand up the trellis and move it to your garden bed. The best way to carry it is to stand inside the structure, in-between the two sides so each hand can get hold of a 1×4. Lift, and there you go.
Growing with this trellis:
Prepare the beds, set up the trellis good and sturdy on the centre of two beds. Plant on each side of the wire where it meets the soil. As peas are an early season crop, so we use row covers which increase soil temperature and keep the birds away from the little sprouts. Use clothes pins to hold row cover where you want it.