Pea Sticks - where to get them?

[Gillian]

I'd like to use pea sticks to support my peas this year (last year the mice had them).
Does anyone know the best place to find them?
The local forrestry trust had a 'pick your own pea stick day' last week and typically I missed it. Anyone know of anywhere else - preferably in the Wiltshire/Bath area?

Gill

[Gillian]

[supersprout]

How frustrating for you Gillian. One of my lottie neighbours has just pruned a hazel and there are loads of pea sticks just sitting there right now :-[ ... have you tried http://www.allotmentforestry.com/direct.htm? I am going to collect 8 ft hazel poles for my beans this weekend sourced thru this directory.

[redimp]

I use hazel coppiced from my back garden up at the lottie.  Dibbers, row markers etc.  Only had the lottie a year so have not grown any suitable for bean supports yet and with just two hazels it may take some time but it is something I intend to do. Pea sticks I just gather from around the site.  There are loads of plum trees and some of the neighbouring gardeners dispose of their prunings into the area between their back fence and the lottie boundary.

Like the site by the way  :)

[vee]

I've just cut back a red stemmed dogwood which I'm going to use for pea sticks. I thought they would look nice with peas growing up them.

[scotch-mist]

Just read this post and now I'm panicking,

Please tell me I don't need special sticks for growing peas up?

I will be planting seeds out as soon as snow clears and thought all I needed was bamboo canes.

[Larkspur]

I've just cut back a red stemmed dogwood which I'm going to use for pea sticks. I thought they would look nice with peas growing up them.

Yes, I cut dogwood from plantings made by the local authority.
You can use them in ornamental borders too and at the moment I have got some acting as "frames" for fleece on my allotment. A percentage of the cuttings will root so you can grow your own if you wish.

[supersprout]

He he scotch-mist, fret no more, you can grow peas up anything stick-like. The Rolls Royce pea stick imho is 'twiggy', i.e. has several little twigs growing out of the main stem, gives peas more to grab on to. But any sticks will do. If you grow tall peas, you may be into http://www.organiccatalog.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=1401  ;)

[Curryandchips]

As Supersprout says, any old twiggy stuff will do, but if you want 'proper' sticks, then Poundland can come up trumps again with their bundles of 30 x 4ft canes. Excellent value in my opinion and so many uses.

[Roy Bham UK]

Just read this post and now I'm panicking,

Please tell me I don't need special sticks for growing peas up?

I will be planting seeds out as soon as snow clears and thought all I needed was bamboo canes.

I use pea netting a bit messy trying to pull it all out after use but I don't mind that on a warm sunny day ;D Looking at S/Sprouts link I will use the tip John Humphries has put in Wiki under "Making Things out of Other Things" using bamboo and old garden hose proving to be a very useful site ;)

[Curryandchips]

I use pea netting a bit messy trying to pull it all out after use but I don't mind that on a warm sunny day ;D

Yes cleaning the net can be a bit of a chore. I tend to leave it up until the plants have completely withered, then find them easier to pull off.

[vee]

Yes Curry, I've also bought the 30 x 4ft canes from Poundland. I couldn't resist them at a pound for 30. I don't know what I'm going to use them for yet, but I like to be prepared! :D
BTW I also got some velcro plant tie on a roll from there which looks really useful. It comes in three widths. I've never seen it before.

[Gillian]

Thanks for all the help.
I don't have a garden so I won't be able to cut from my own trees.
I think I might go for the pea hoop if I can't get any sustainable wood from UK forests.
It looks quite cool actually!

Thanks again
Gill