General information and discussion about cultivating beans, peas, peanuts, clover and vetch.
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March 19, 2013 | #1 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Campbell, CA
Posts: 4,064
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Sugar Snap Peas 9ft. Tall (and Growing) - How To Pick?
Well, got a bit of a problem on my hands. I can't reach the Sugar Snap Peas to pick - even with my stepladder:
Sugar Snap on the left and Super Sugar Snap in the right EarthTainer. So, they are growing great but I have no safe way to harvest them. Any ideas on how to get at the pea pods without destroying the growing vines? For reference, here are the (easy to pick) Oregon Giant Snow Peas: Raybo |
March 19, 2013 | #2 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: zone 5b northwest connecticut
Posts: 2,570
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know anyone in the nba? maybe you need a 12' step ladder.
tom
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March 19, 2013 | #3 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: WI, USA Zone4
Posts: 1,887
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Scissor type hedge trimmers...use the tip for cutting.
Tree loppers with long handles might also work. Last edited by dustdevil; March 19, 2013 at 10:48 PM. |
March 20, 2013 | #4 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Northern Minnesota - zone 3
Posts: 3,220
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Ha! Some problem! They sure are looking good. Just get that step ladder out. Are you seeing any big difference between the regular Sugar Snaps the the Super ones?
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Dee ************** |
March 20, 2013 | #5 |
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I grow my tall beans on bamboo that I grew. The bamboo was about 6 metres tall, but I cut most of it into two pieces of 2 and 4 metres. There are small branches all along which I trim to a useful length.
I push them into the ground with a bit of space around them. Then when I want to harvest beans growing at the top, I just bend the bamboo down, pick the beans, and let the pole resume verticality. No ladders needed. |
March 20, 2013 | #6 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Campbell, CA
Posts: 4,064
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Dee,
Unfortunately, the stepladder is too short. I need to find another solution, as I don't want to pull the vines down just to harvest just a few of the ripe pods. As you can see in the above photo, virtually no difference in growth between the two varieties. Taste test will be my final determining factor as to which variety I grow next year. Raybo |
March 20, 2013 | #7 |
Riding The Crazy Train Again
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: San Marcos, California
Posts: 2,562
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Ray, you sure do have a green thumb ! I think I've seen round trellises somewhere. That wouldn't solve your current problem but maybe for future peas?
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March 20, 2013 | #8 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Campbell, CA
Posts: 4,064
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Deborah,
Might be hard to see in the photo but the peas are currently growing inside 7 foot rectangular cages attached to the EarthTainers. They support the pea vines well, but are too weak to lean a ladder up against. Raybo |
March 20, 2013 | #9 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: IL
Posts: 87
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Wow, you must live near a nuclear factory! That is so amazing. What fertilizer are you using?
Sorry, I have suggestions for help with harvest but that is pretty impressive. |
March 20, 2013 | #10 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Vermont
Posts: 1,001
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Wheel your wheelbarrow over next to the peas, and put the stepladder up in that.
Seriously, could you set up a temporary platform nearby on which a stepladder could be safely erected? (preferably something without wheels!) I do wish I had your problem - the 8 inches of snow we got yesterday sort of makes that unlikely anytime soon, though. Shawn
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March 20, 2013 | #11 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Oct 2011
Location: Durhamville,NY
Posts: 2,706
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I'd barrow or make a step ladder. Another option might be to tip the whole thing carefully on its side, pick the peas and set it back up. I wouldn't thy it with any less that 2 people. one to tip the container and one to handle the caging.
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March 20, 2013 | #12 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Oklahoma
Posts: 4,488
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Just pick anything you can reach, and anything higher than that is next years seeds, or dried for split pea soup. That's the lazy mans solution
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Scott AKA The Redbaron "Permaculture is a philosophy of working with, rather than against nature; of protracted & thoughtful observation rather than protracted & thoughtless labour; & of looking at plants & animals in all their functions, rather than treating any area as a single-product system." Bill Mollison co-founder of permaculture |
March 20, 2013 | #13 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Jun 2012
Location: Illinois, zone 6
Posts: 8,407
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I'm thinking trained monkeys.
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March 20, 2013 | #14 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Oct 2012
Location: Orlando, FL
Posts: 614
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Hovercraft?
It might be too delicate a job for those "grabbers" that people use in retail. |
March 20, 2013 | #15 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina
Posts: 1,332
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Yep, the only thing I can think of is the "tip it over" method. But I would want three people there, one to keep the 'tainer secure, another for the metal trellis and one to pick.
It certainly doesn't look easy! |
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