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 all that extra baling wire left over from Winter hay feeding season. Because, if your farm is like mine…it’s everywhere.  Consider installing a baling twine trellis for growing peas in the garden. 

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.  

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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 helps prevent 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 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. 

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, and woven wire fence 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. 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. 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 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.

Check out my video for blanching and freezing peas HERE. 

~ Much Love ~

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