Poles for Pea Plants

Tepee Trellis

• A tepee shape is traditional for climbing vegetables and is one of the simplest to build. Press 60-inch bamboo or fiberglass rods about 6 inches into the soil every few inches apart in a circle with a diameter from 2 to 3 feet. Bring them together at the top and tie them with a strong cord. Plant a climbing pea at the foot of each pole.

X-Shape

• An X-shaped trellis has the advantage of being flat. It is perfect on the far side of the garden where it received benefits of the sun without blocking it from other plants. Create a single line of poles where the left side poles are pushed into the ground at a 45-degree angle pointing right, and the right side poles are at a 45-degree angle pointing left. Tie off with strong cord where each right pole passes a left angled pole. Sharpen three or four wooden 1-by-2s and pound those into the ground behind the trellis as support. Tie or attach the trellis to the stakes.

Single Pole

• Single poles have the advantage of being placed where ever there is a bit of empty garden real estate. Push a 60- to 70-inch pole into the ground next to a 1-by-2 wooden stake that has been hammered into the soil. Attach the pole to the stake, and plant several climbing peas next to them. The peas will climb to the top of the pole and then begin to cascade down.

Cool Weather Crop

• Pole peas can get a garden off to an early start with their love of cool weather. Provide them with rich, well-drained soil and they will produce a crop to pick every few days.