Wigwams as supports

Stheno

So i m a noviceish garden back to it after 20 years and at the end of April started with two very neglected patches of lawn.

I started by adding a lot of compost to form two beds in the back then added flowers from seed and bulbs and veg from seed and bedding packs.

I'm also not a very precise garden so I fecked an entire packet of pea seeds in the ground and have a pile of them growing.

Also have beans, indian dress, sweet pea, sunflowers and tomatoes defying my attend to kill them, but at three feet high plus now they need support.

So I decided to try wigwams. Got a pile of 7ft high canes and used 5-8 per wigwams, then a loop of twine every six inches all the way up and on every loop a king of criss cross on the inside so that scrambling plants have lots to climb over.

Then I've started to train the plants some like the peas and sweet peas don't need it but the beans and indian cress do.

Does this sound like an okay approach?

Thanks!

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

nothing too wrong with it but harvesting peas on a wigwam can be awkward - getting to the pods inside the structure - compared to them strung alone straight lines.

Stheno

Holden Square Tenseness wrote: »

nothing too wrong with it but harvesting peas on a wigwam can be awkward - getting to the pods inside the structure - compared to them strung alone straight lines.

Interesting thanks. Given the amount of plants I was going to double the s pace they have. W e 're I to do that would it be enough to space canes a foot apart in rows and use twine as a climbing structure?

New Home

You could do this, if you had room.

looksee

Three canes is enough for a wigwam (which gives a bit more scope for reaching inside), with a bit of twine to help them get going. It does tend to mean that the growth at the top suddenly doesn't have enough space so turns into a floppy mass of growth - unless you carefully pinch them all out. Its true as Srameen says - it makes getting the fruit/ pods inside the wigwam a bit difficult, but if you don't have room for an elaborate structure then its about the best bet. And it is easy to dismantle and store.

Stheno

Sorry for yet another question.

The beans I have growing do not have the sucker things like peas that grab onto supports. Am I better just using individual canes and trying the stems onto those in that case?

I have a wigwam for them but they keep falling out and are about three feet high with three to four stems per plant
Thanks again

looksee

Beans hold on by winding round the supports, they have winding shoots rather than the tendrils that peas have. You only need to get them to near the canes or twine and they will sort themselves out.

Stheno

looksee wrote: »

Beans hold on by winding round the supports, they have winding shoots rather than the tendrils that peas have. You only need to get them to near the canes or twine and they will sort themselves out.

Thank you that makes sense I think I've put the canes in the wrong place will have a look tomorrow

looksee

I wouldn't worry about it, if there are a few strings across the bottom - or better, a few twigs pushed into the ground, the beans will find their way up. If you find one lying on the ground just pick it up and poke it in among the others to get it going. You don't want more than about 4 or 5 plants to a wigwam.

Stheno

looksee wrote: »

I wouldn't worry about it, if there are a few strings across the bottom - or better, a few twigs pushed into the ground, the beans will find their way up. If you find one lying on the ground just pick it up and poke it in among the others to get it going. You don't want more than about 4 or 5 plants to a wigwam.

I've three to each wigwams but each has multiple shoots.

They are like naughty children :pac:

looksee

Yes, they will be fine. Once they catch on to the support they will go like wildfire.

Edit - once they start fruiting pick them as soon as they are long enough to use - 6 inches or so. Most of the pods will come around the same time and you will have to look carefully, you will find huge long pods suddenly there when you thought you had picked over the wigwam.

I used love to go round the garden when things were just starting and pick maybe the half dozen baby beans, a few tiny carrots, a little courgette and whatever else was growing, then just chop them into a minimum of oil and a splash of boiling water to cook them really quickly, lovely!

Stheno

looksee wrote: »

Yes, they will be fine. Once they catch on to the support they will go like wildfire.

Edit - once they start fruiting pick them as soon as they are long enough to use - 6 inches or so. Most of the pods will come around the same time and you will have to look carefully, you will find huge long pods suddenly there when you thought you had picked over the wigwam.

I used love to go round the garden when things were just starting and pick maybe the half dozen baby beans, a few tiny carrots, a little courgette and whatever else was growing, then just chop them into a minimum of oil and a splash of boiling water to cook them really quickly, lovely!

Ha! Being so new to gardening my oh and I love to check it every day.

Less than two months ago we had bare lawn, now every day there is something new

We've already had lettuce pepper and Swiss chard to eat and the taste is unreal compared to shop bought

New Home

looksee wrote: »

Yes, they will be fine. Once they catch on to the support they will go like wildfire.

Edit - once they start fruiting pick them as soon as they are long enough to use - 6 inches or so. Most of the pods will come around the same time and you will have to look carefully, you will find huge long pods suddenly there when you thought you had picked over the wigwam.

I used love to go round the garden when things were just starting and pick maybe the half dozen baby beans, a few tiny carrots, a little courgette and whatever else was growing, then just chop them into a minimum of oil and a splash of boiling water to cook them really quickly, lovely!

Stheno wrote: »

Ha! Being so new to gardening my oh and I love to check it every day.

Less than two months ago we had bare lawn, now every day there is something new

We've already had lettuce pepper and Swiss chard to eat and the taste is unreal compared to shop bought

Damn, you two, you're making me hungry!!

Pretzill

Tried a wigwam for netting over the fruits this year. (hoping they stay up)
But last year I used sticks (tree branches) as pea sticks and they were very successful.
Just stuck a row of branches in the ground and planted peas either side.

looksee

Just on the topic of peas and beans, you can eat peas off the plant - and those nice tasty tendrils that are all the rage for salads - but beans should be cooked, don't eat them raw.

Stheno

looksee wrote: »

Just on the topic of peas and beans, you can eat peas off the plant - and those nice tasty tendrils that are all the rage for salads - but beans should be cooked, don't eat them raw.

Hah, all my googling was useless compared to this forum

I untied all the beans and stuck in a few small canes and some of them are now over four feet and clinging along

The peas and sweet pea flowers are also going like the clappers.

I've nasturtium chard and indian cress growing as well we'll have some pretty meals if they all flourish

I've beans both in full sun and partial shade am doing the three sisters method with beans corn and pumpkin in full sun and have lettuce and radish under the ones in partial shade the ones in partial shade appear to be growing quicker.

They all (beans) still have flowers, it's making me most impatient