How to Install an Easy Cheap Pea Trellis Using Baling Twine

Are you looking for an easy cheap pea trellis idea to support your growing pea plants?

This easy cheap pea trellis using baling twine gets the job done while using up extra baling twine left over from Winter hay feeding season. Because, if your farm is like mine…it’s everywhere.  Consider installing a baling twine trellis for a diy pea trellis. And you “can’t just throw baling twine away”. So, it accumulates. Good quality baling twine is very versatile, strong and can be used for many different things. This is why many farmers keep it around for when it would be needed for that next great project. Any farmer/gardener will tell you baling twine is an essential tool to have on hand for many homesteading type projects. For more garden diy with baling twine, check out my post about staking young tomato plants using baling twine!
This article is focused on growing peas in the home garden.  I will cover step by step instructions for building a growing peas trellis using leftover baling twine. But first, why you should consider using baling twine to build your DIY Pea Trellis.  

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Why You Should Consider a Pea Trellis

Trellises are a common practice in the world of growing peas. A baling twine trellis could be that next project for you if you are growing awesomely tall and heavy peas. The peas will need a shoulder to hang on to as they grow. Using a trellis for peas is a great way to help prevent snow peas, English peas and other climbing peas from laying on the wet ground. If pea plants or pods lay on the wet ground for too long, they could be infected with fungal diseases or powdery mildew.

Unhealthy plants will lack the ability to make healthy pods full of yummy peas for you and your family. Another reason to install a trellis is so pea plants avoid clinging on to neighboring plants. This can cause a very jumbled mess within the pea plants, limiting pod growth. This mess can make the pea plants extremely difficult to manage with the pea tendrils decide to attach to other neighboring garden peas. So, why not bite the bullet and install a trellis? And maybe make one out of baling twine? 

Options for Pea Trellises

Many types of trellises can be used. I’ve also seen chicken wire, netting, tomato cages and woven wire panels used for pea trellises. But the only one I’ve ever used has been out of baling twine. The main idea is to get the peas to stand straight up while continuing to grow and mature. The question you have to ask yourself it how to support peas when growing. Your trellis can be made out of anything you can find that can stretch the length of your pea rows. It must also be able to hold the pea plants and pods up off the ground. So, now you know why you should have a pea trellis. Plus, some options for different pea trellises that work. Now, here’s my version of installing an easy cheap pea trellis using baling twine.

What You Need to Install an Easy Cheap Pea Trellis

• Scissors or a Knife
• Plenty of Baling Twine (Your own or ask a neighboring farmer to save some for you).
• Posts or Fencing to Tie and Loop Twine. 

Now Get Started (Bullet Points)

• First of all, build a fence at both ends of your rows. Or just use posts to tie the twine on at each end. 
• Tie an end of the twine to one end of the fence at the start of a row next to the first plant. 
• Stretch the twine all the way to the other end at the same level and in a straight line. Tie onto fence or post at the other end. 
• Repeat as the peas grow. Always stay ahead of the height of the pea plants. 
• Continually check and tighten twine as needed. Make sure that it is able to hold up the pea plants as they become heavier. 

Now Get Started (In Depth Description)

It’s time to start weaving or tying the twine and constructing your trellis for peas. So, it’s best to do this when the peas are ankle-high. Just tall enough to see how they are growing. And soon before they start tangling with other plants.

To begin, make sure you have a way to loop and tie the baling twine at each end. I have a fence all the way around my garden, so I use that as leverage. You could also use bamboo posts. It needs to be sturdy to keep the twine tight. This will help to support the weight of the plants.

Next, start at the end of your pea rows. Tie one end of a piece of twine to the fence or post. String it above the rows just above the height of the peas. Weave through or tie on at the end. Then, start again.

You can either go down the rows or across. It all depends on how the peas are growing. I did a series of both since I had plants growing at different stages. The plants just need something to hand on to. As you work the twine through the rows, encourage the peas to reach for them by wrapping fingers around the twine. You may also need to separate pea plants from entangling with neighboring pea plants.

Installing any type of trellis for peas will promote plant health and pod growth. A baling twine trellis is just an affordable way to go about it. Plus, it really does work great as a trellis!

Does it work well or not? 

So, here’s what I’ve learned in the process. At first I was wondering if it would work. The peas were not responding with the twine at first. They kept wanting to tangle back up with their neighbors again.

Then, within a week to two weeks, the pea plant’s delicately strong fingers began to grasp the twine at the next level. Yippee! Continue to monitor the plants as they grow to see if you should add higher twine for them to stretch to.

Again, you should always stay ahead of the growth of the plants and encourage them to aim higher. I’ve learned that there’s no right or wrong way to design this trellis. It may seem messy and jumbled, but it is very effective if monitored well. Installing a baling twine trellis is an inexpensively easy way to help your peas stand up straighter and help you yield more sweet peas for long term enjoyment. 

How long does it take to trellis peas?

Not long at all. Whether it’s early spring or fall harvest, building a pea trellis for your tall green peas is probably one of the best uses of your time as a gardener. How much time you spend depends on how many rows of peas you have in your garden bed. 

Preparation, good design and helpful hands is the best way to help you build a top quality baling twine trellis in your garden space. 

At the end of the season, you’ll have to pick up all your twine and old materials and put them away. That is just part of it. We’ve had a bad experience with leaving bamboo poles and other materials out in the garden and forgetting about them. Then, when we want to use them later on, they are ruined. So, once your trellised peas are done for the season, pick up your supplies and you can store them for the next season as recycled materials. 

How tall should this pea trellis be?

There are several different varieties of peas ranging in different sizes and shapes. So, the height of your pea trellis depends on what you’re planting. Look at your seed packet. Some pea varieties can get as tall as 3 feet high!

A good rule to go by for a busy gardener is to start the trellis for your young pea plants. Then, as the peas grow you can add in more baling twine to fit the height of your plants. Or you can just build the top of the trellis 3 feet high the one time you’re building your trellis for your tall peas. That’s the proactive way to go and help you manage your time as a gardener. 

A Simple Project That Makes a Huge Difference

Your new baling twine trellis is not always a heavy-duty trellis – Especially if your pea plants are doing amazing. You may need to add more baling twine through the peas’ short season of growth. Let’s face it – If you’re facing cool weather, your peas are going to grow amazingly well. If that happens, you’ll need to do some work to your trellis to make it more supportive.

Despite a few tweaks through the season, the baling twine trellis is a great option for a support system for your sweet pea plants. 

Indeed, I do love building a trellis with baling twine because it’s very low cost and it’s great for if you need to support your peas. You can definitely use it for other varieties of vegetables as well. I hope this was an informative article and that it gave you a great idea to try for building a cheap and easy trellis for supporting your pea plants and fresh peas. 

Check out my video for blanching and freezing peas HERE. 

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