Topic: Climbing veg

[Ceratonia]

Last year, one of my sons would sit in the shade inside the sweet pea wigwam while I was gardening. He's asked if we can do the same this year, but with more space inside. So, I've put together a fairly sturdy tunnel from bamboo canes - 6ft long, 6ft high, 3-4ft wide.

Any suggestions as to what I could grow up this? I was always slightly worried about poisonous sweet pea seeds, so something edible is preferred.

Runner & french beans are the obvious thing, but we don't eat enough to justify that kind of space. Are there any peas or squashes which would grow up a cane and play nicely with the runner beans? Could outdoor cucumbers do ok like this? Something he could pick himself while sat in there would be ideal  :D

Reasonably sunny spot, sheltered from wind, rich, moisture retaining, chalky soil.

[RobinOfTheHood]

I'll be watching this one closely, my son asked me to do the same yesterday.. ;D ;D

Was thinking just runners meself, but thinking about it I might add nasturtiums to it.

Oh, and if I can find climbing peas....

[ann hunter]

Nastutiums are good, the flowers make a lovely, mildish peppery, colourful addition to salads. Also the end of season seeds if you get the pods before they dry out, and pickle them, make a passable alternative to capers! Both edible! My young daughter cant keep her mits off the flowers :) Only thing isthey can be prone to black fly - yum- extra protein!!!

[supersprout]

Climbing French beans in lots of different colours (I can send you spotty borlotti and flat yellow ones) :)
Trailing acorn or delicata squash trained up the poles? See http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,57/topic,8578.0

[bennettsleg]

Oh, and if I can find climbing peas....

asparagus pes are climbers. eat them whole, taste like asparagus, climb to a good 5ft I beleive.

[David R]

watch those squash, they can be prickly  :'(

[jennym]

..asparagus pes are climbers. eat them whole, taste like asparagus, climb to a good 5ft I beleive.

What type did you grow then? I tried what the packet said were asparagus peas a couple of years ago - they grew to about 18" high, definitely weren't climbers. They had lovely dark red flowers (from memory) but the "peas" themselves weren't really peas, and were only really edible at about an inch long, after that they were stringy. It was so much trouble picking them for so little crop, that I decided not to bother again - but the flowers were nice.

[Merry Tiller]

Asparagus peas taste like cardboard to me, in fact someone said they'd rather eat the packet the seeds came in.
What about cucumbers?

[jennym]

Or gherkins?
And you could string up some cordon tomatoes as well.

[supersprout]

watch those squash, they can be prickly  :'(

whoops :-[

[Ceratonia]

Some good suggestions - thanks everyone. I think we'll try a couple of plants of a few different things.

Nasturtiums are one I hadn't thought of, which he'll like. Am not worried about blackfly at all - have an absolute plague of ladybirds this year. Almost to the point where I need to plant roses, nasturtiums, dahlias etc to get some aphids for them to eat  :D

Tomatoes would be good too - I never really think of them as an outdoor crop, for some reason.

My experience of Asparagus peas matches exactly what Jennym wrote - nice flowers, not worth the effort of picking them when they're tiny and haven't gone stringy yet. No doubt with a few centuries of plant breeding they could be turned into a nice long stringless bean that actually tastes of something....

[CityChick]

I think some of the heritage varieties of peas might grow taller.  From what I've read about seed saving it said they've been bred shorter in modern times as its easier to harvest them commercially. I've just got some yellow podded mange tout from the real seed catalogue, and it says they grow 5-6 foot tall and need a well supported trellis :D

Also got a mini cucurbit (cucumber) from them which says: "scrambles like mad over everything - give a trellis for the plants to climb".  Not sure if the leaves would be a bit prickly though? (My first year growing both).

[angle shades]

if its any help to you i grow peas from the heritage seed library, they do grow up to six feet tall and last year the squirrels loved them!! i grow them up bamboo canes with sweet peas you can also grow climbing french beans this way.  if you grow just sweet peas up canes  you can  plant the odd pumpkin in with them and grow them up the canes  i suggest tiny pumpkins, i grow munchkin pumpkins , and
children love them and they look pretty, hope this helps/regards angle shades x

[supersprout]

My experience of Asparagus peas matches exactly what Jennym wrote - nice flowers, not worth the effort of picking them when they're tiny and haven't gone stringy yet. No doubt with a few centuries of plant breeding they could be turned into a nice long stringless bean that actually tastes of something....

Have you tried the Yard Long Bean? Nice and dangly!

[bennettsleg]

..asparagus pes are climbers. eat them whole, taste like asparagus, climb to a good 5ft I beleive.

What type did you grow then? I tried what the packet said were asparagus peas a couple of years ago - they grew to about 18" high, definitely weren't climbers. They had lovely dark red flowers (from memory) but the "peas" themselves weren't really peas, and were only really edible at about an inch long, after that they were stringy. It was so much trouble picking them for so little crop, that I decided not to bother again - but the flowers were nice.

errr... not grown them yet, was going to get some seed for this year after doing my research (in books) and now don't think I'll bother!

[CityChick]

if its any help to you i grow peas from the heritage seed library, they do grow up to six feet tall ....

Any particular varieties you would recommend?

[angle shades]

CITY CHICK,
                  ne plus ultra  is very sweet,its  my fave pea,champion of england is also very good,this year i'm growing stenu and laxtons exquisite as well/angle shades x

[fbgrifter]

just spotted this thread.  i'm also growing arches and tunnels for my son.  for something different i've bought some climbing courgette seeds from the organic gardening company, i think they were called 'black forest'.  plus things like borlotti beans and baby bear pumpkins and sugar snap peas...all his fave veg really.