Monday, June 8, 2009

It wasn't for nothin' after all

I went out to check the garden this morning and discovered I was wrong about how much support my peas required. They stood up fine on their own but today, our wind returned (and if the forecast storms show up, the wind will be much worse). I cringed as I saw the bloom covered tops bent over in the wind. I tried to think of something tall I could quickly put out for them. All I could come up with was my less-than-stellar trellis I started the other day.

It was a little tricky to move in the wind, but once I got the screws started, it wasn't hard to straighten and attach. I just ran some cotton string between the sides which was enough to straighten out the poor peas. They looked broken, but when I got them stood back up, the stems looked fine. I guess I'll find out in the next couple days if I'm going to lose any. It seems strange to me how often the wind manages to blow from the direction of the house (ok, it bounces off the house, but still...). Last year, the corn was usually flattened from that direction.

The trellis actually seems a lot more stable than it did before. I think it's because of the string holding the sides. I'm thinking I may be able tweak my plan a little and make it work. I'm still undecided though. Maybe tonight I'll check out some more options & see what I can come up with.

5 comments:

Toni said...

That darn wind!@!

I hope that your peas make it thru OK!

We get gusty winds here too. When I was first setting up my boxes in May, we were in the midst of some spring wind storms that blew away some my soil and some of the peas/beans that I had planted!!!

Annie*s Granny said...

My sugar snap peas are bent in half from the wind storm we had the other night. It doesn't seem to bother them though, nothing is broken. It sure makes them harder to pick! If the season were longer, I'd try to tie them back up, but they will be finished before long, so I think I'll let them be. Next year I'll have a stronger, higher trellis!

Amy said...

It was windy today but not what I would call severe at all. I guess it's been unusually calm lately and I got used to it. I haven't harvested any peas yet, so I really really didn't want to lose them.

Unknown said...

Amy, I think you will be ok with the this trellis for your peas. Just be sure you secure the ends really well.

I hope your peas are ok. They look really good.

Just Jenn said...

Oh the wind! It's flattened some of my asparagus ferns from the direction of the house so I know exactly what you're talking about. So much for shelter! Hope your trellis holds up - looks sturdy from here!