Cover your peas with medium-weight netting so the birds can’t get to them. Lay medium-weight white spun fabric, garden fleece, or netting right on top of your pea plants. Then, place rocks, bricks, or soil on the edges of the fabric to prevent it from blowing off.
Do peas need to be netted?
The newly sown seeds will always need protection from birds and mice, so, from the outset cover the seed beds with netting and set traps for the mice. It is essential to protect the young pea plants from birds because they will devastate a crop before breakfast time.
How do I protect my pea plants?
Place stakes every few feet behind your peas and string a sturdy cotton twine along the middle and tops of the stakes. The twine is an adequate pea plant support. You may find some vines climbing the stakes. Old farm fencing or chicken wire is another means of supporting pea plants.
How do you protect pea seeds?
Pop the peas (seeds) out of the pod by hand. Lay them out to dry further and remove any that are damaged or discoloured. Store in a cool, dry place. Pea seeds should last in storage for at least three years.
What is eating the tops of my peas?
Pea Weevils Are Eating Your Sugar Snap Peas
Pea weevils are not actually weevils; they’re beetles! The adult pea weevils are pretty easy to spot. Both the adults and larvae destroy parts of the plant’s leaves.
Do birds eat sweet pea flowers?
A staple of cottage gardens because of their colorful and fragrant flowers, hummingbirds are also drawn to sweet peas, especially plants with red or pink flowers.
What is pea netting?
Pea netting is a plastic plant support netting mesh. That allows climbing plants, crops and vegetables to have support while growing.
How do I keep birds from eating my plants?
Netting vulnerable plants works well if the plants are small enough. Don’t leave any gaps in the netting. You should check the netting at least twice a day in case a bird has become entangled. Using brightly coloured netting and keeping it taut will help reduce the risk of this happening.
What is the best support for sweet peas?
Because Sweet Peas are vining, they need support to grow up and flower. Many types of structures can work such as a trellis, supports with mesh or twine, or fences. They need a structure that is well anchored in the ground to support the weight of the vines.
How do I stop pigeons from eating my peas?
Peas can get attacked by pigeons so it can be worth netting them if it is likely to be a problem. I tend to use pea sticks to support the plants and these are usually annoying enough to keep the pigeons away. You can use nets for the peas to grow up if you prefer.
Can you save sweet pea seeds for next year?
Saving sweet pea seeds
Seed can be collected in early September. Leave the seed pods on the plants until they have turned a paper bag colour. Collect them on a dry day, remove them from their pods and store in paper bags in a dry place until you a ready to sow them.
How do you make a trellis for peas?
Directions:
- Stick two 6′ or longer bamboo poles into the soil on either side of your pea patch.
- Make a frame using two more bamboo poles that measure a few inches longer than the width of your side stakes.
- Using twine on a spool, tie one end of the twine to the bottom of one side of the bottom of the frame.
How do I save peas to plant next year?
Peas and beans
This may be as long as a month after you would normally harvest the peas or beans to eat. Strip the pods from the plants and spread them out to dry indoors. They should dry at least two weeks before shelling, or you can leave the seeds in the pods until planting time.
What could be eating my sweet pea leaves?
Pea moths, pea weevils, apids, snails, and small mammals are the most common culprits when it comes to feasting on pea plants.
What to spray peas with?
Major Seedling Feeders
In the home garden, spray foliage with soapy water, then rinse with clear water. Alternatively, use an insecticidal soap spray. Planting in aluminum foil that has been laid on the planting bed, as well as filling yellow pans with water to trap the aphids are also effective control measures.
What eats sweet pea flowers?
Birds are known to sit on sweet pea trellis and eat the flowers clean off.
Do you need to protect sweet peas from birds?
It is also possible to sow peas in the autumn for overwintering to provide a spring harvest. If doing this, the peas will need the protection of a cloche or plastic grow tunnel. Protected young pea plants from birds is essential to achieve a harvest.
How do you keep sparrows out of peas?
Creating barriers using garden netting is probably the most effective way to keep birds out. I use a variety of hoops in my garden and then pull butterfly netting over them. Butterfly netting protects crops from hungry wildlife but beneficial insects like honeybees can still get through to pollinate.
Do sweet peas come back every year?
Sweet peas (Lathyrus odoratus) only live for a year, dying after setting seed. But don’t let this put you off as they are super easy to grow from seed. Perennial species such as Lathyrus latifolius come back year after year, but mostly lack fragrance and there are fewer to choose from.
How do you use bean netting?
How to Use
- Simply cut to size and use with bamboo canes or stakes to create a strong frame that will provide essential support for plants.
- Can also be used to re-cover bean frame supports to provide a sturdy frame for plants to grow up.
How do you stop pea moths?
Peas can be grown under horticultural fleece, insect-proof mesh, to prevent female moths laying eggs on the plants. Peas are self-pollinating and so excluding bees and other pollinators with fleece will not affect the crop.