Growing peas in containers can be incredibly rewarding. The sweet, crisp peas are delicious right off the vine. However, pea plants need some kind of support to climb upwards as they grow. A trellis is key for successful pea container gardening. With the right trellis, your peas will thrive! This article will provide tips on choosing, designing, and building trellises for peas grown in pots.
Why Peas Need a Trellis
Peas are climbing plants. Without support pea vines will sprawl on the ground taking up a lot of space. This makes them more prone to pests and diseases. It also makes harvesting difficult. Adding a trellis solves these issues! A trellis lifts pea vines off the ground and provides the support they need to grow upright. This improves air circulation and sunlight exposure. Plus, trellised peas are easier to monitor, tend to, and pick.
Trellis Height Considerations
When trellising container peas, the trellis must be tailored to the height of the variety grown. Here are some height guidelines:
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Bush peas 2-3 feet tall
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Pole/vining peas 4-8 feet tall
The trellis should be 6 inches taller than the expected mature plant height. This prevents toppling over once peas reach the top.
Trellis Designs for Pots
There are many trellis possibilities for container peas! Simple options include:
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Bamboo tepees
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Single bamboo poles
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Twiggy branches
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Wire fencing formed into tubes
More elaborate trellises that can be customized include:
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Wooden A-frames
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Arches made from pliable branches
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Obelisks made of interwoven sticks
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DIY moss-covered frames
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Twiggy pyramids or tipis
Having fun with trellis shapes and materials adds whimsy and beauty to the container garden.
Sturdy Support for Healthy Peas
While creativity is encouraged, the trellis must be study and stable. Pea vines will grow heavy, so flimsy structures will topple over. Use thick poles or branches secured deeply into the container soil. For lightweight trellises, attach the structure securely to the container rim with zip ties or plant velcro. The goal is to make a trellis that will stand up to weather, pests, and vigorous pea growth.
Installing the Trellis
When installing a pea trellis in a container, follow these tips:
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Partially fill the pot with soil and center the trellis.
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Fill soil around the trellis structure to stabilize it.
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Weave twine, vines, or netting through the trellis for tendrils to grab.
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Consider painting the trellis to protect and beautify it.
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Allow peas to grow several inches before coiling vines around the trellis.
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Gently guide vines onto supports, taking care not to damage plants.
Caring for Trellised Container Peas
Once your peas begin climbing the trellis, a bit of maintenance and care will keep them healthy:
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Check trellis stability and refill soil around bases as needed.
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Gently weave stray tendrils back into the trellis as vines grow.
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Keep an eye out for pests like aphids that can spread quickly on trellised plants.
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Water regularly so soil stays moist but not soggy. Reduce watering once pods form.
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Sprinkle fertilizer around the container every few weeks during the growing season.
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Harvest peas regularly so vines continue producing.
With the right trellis in place, it’s easy to grow happy peas in containers. Have fun choosing a design that fits your space and gardening style! Soon you’ll be enjoying homegrown peas fresh from your potted plants.
Frequency of Entities:
- peas: 14
- trellis: 14
- container: 10
- vines: 5
- soil: 4
- plant: 3
- pole: 2
- tendril: 3
- grow: 2
- vine: 2
- harvest: 2
- water: 1
- branch: 2
- wood: 1
- wire: 1
- twine: 2
- support: 1
- climb: 1
- pot: 1
- pillar: 0
- cane: 0
- stick: 1
- bamboo: 1
Watering, Harvesting, and Storing
When growing sugar snap peas in containers, it’s very important to be consistent and generous with your watering. Lots of peas came from my pot plant, but I saw that some of the leaves at the bottom turned yellow. I believe this was from a lack of water.
The pea plants in the vegetable beds didn’t get this color change, and in the end they had more peas. So, make sure the soil in your pot is pretty much always moist. It’s likely that you will need to water peas in pots more than peas grown in beds or in the ground.
The peas started to sprout in about 10 to 14 days. The plants took about two months to grow sugar snap peas that were fully grown, from the end of April to the end of June. Your time frame for growing sugar snap peas in pots might be shorter or longer than mine, depending on where you live.
Sugar snap peas are ready to harvest when the peas are the same width as the pod. You don’t want to pick the peas too early, when they look more like snow peas, or too late, when they are full of peas. To get sugar snap peas off the vine, pinch behind the “tassle” at the top of the pod and pull it off. Here’s a photo of some of my best peas this season.
Keep fresh sugar snap peas in the fridge in a container that won’t let air in or a plastic bag that zips shut. As soon as I get them, I like to wash them under cold running water and wrap them in a paper towel before putting them away. They should last in the fridge for at least a week.
Most pea plants are done producing by mid-July. I picked off the last few peas and cut down my vines at this point. I’m going to plant more beets in the bed where I had peas because I read that beets do well there. Let’s see!.
Instructions for Growing Sugar Snap Peas in Containers
- Prepare the pot with soil and fertilizer. Make sure to read the directions on the fertilizer package to find out how much to use. From what I’ve seen, sugar snap peas don’t need a lot of fertilizer. I only added it once at the time of sowing. Put the pot on its drainage tray, and you’re ready to plant the seeds!
- Place the peas around the outside of the pot in a circle. They were planted about an inch from the pot’s edges and an inch from the pot’s middle. They were 5 to 2 inches apart and made a circle. To plant the seeds, dig a hole about an inch deep and fill it with soil. I put two seeds in each hole.
- Set up the support. Put the tomato cage upside down on top of the pot or set up your pea trellis so the peas can grow up it.
- Water generously with a watering can or hose.
Amazing $3 Trellis for Peas And Other Climbing Vegetables
FAQ
Do peas grow well in containers?
What is the best support for pea plants?
How tall does a trellis for peas need to be?
How do you grow peas in a trellis?
Choose a container that is wider than it is deep to pack more plants into the available space. Use a trellis or other type of support to keep plants upright. Sow peas 4-6 weeks prior to the last frost, or wait until the soil temperature is at least 50°F for faster germination.
What are the best DIY pea trellis ideas?
Whether you plant peas on the ground or in containers, these Functional DIY Pea Trellis Ideas will provide the support so they flourish and grow productively. 1. Recycled Peas Trellis 2. Peas Trellis Basics 3. Bamboo Pea Trellis 4. Hula Hoop Pea Trellis 5. Raised Bed Pea Trellis 6. Wire Fence Trellis 7. Woven Bamboo Trellis 8. Pea Arch Trellis 9.
How do you secure a pea trellis?
If the posts are too far apart, the trellis will slump as the weight of the growing plants pulls it down. You can use nylon, plastic netting, or another type of netting material. I like garden netting as the grid pattern makes it easy for pea plants to climb the supports. Use zip ties or cable ties to secure the netting to the stakes.
How long should a pea trellis be?
Making a pea trellis from 6 to 8 foot long lengths of bamboo is an easy way to support vigorous pea and sweet pea plants. How do peas grow? Garden peas are easy to grow with the seeds direct sown in early spring as soon as the soil has thawed and is workable. They do best in a site with full sun and fertile soil.
What trellis do you need to grow sweet peas?
If you’re growing dwarf varieties of peas or sweet peas you can use a compact trellis like a tomato cage or a simple DIY structure made with 4 foot bamboo posts and jute twine. For tall growing peas, like Sugar Snap, opt for a heavy-duty trellis that can accommodate the weight of the vining plants.
Do Bush peas need a trellis?
There are some varieties of bush peas which are low-growing and self-supporting, e.g. they don’t require a trellis or other support. When buying pea seeds to grow, always be sure to read the seed packet or online description so you know the plant’s growth habit and can plan accordingly. What types of peas are there?