The Slowcook at Spydog Farm The Slowcook at Spydog Farm

Rebar for These Snap Peas

April 10th, 2010 · 1 Comment · Posted in garden

A different method of staking snap peas

A different method of staking snap peas

Snap peas need strong support if they are to grow to their full height, which can be five feet or more. I could never get the string tight enough using wooden stakes. This year I’m trying something different that I’ve seen used successfully in other gardens: metal rebar for stakes.

We located our rebar at Ernest Maier, Inc., a masonry supply just outside the District of Columbia in Bladensburg, Md. Rebar is typically used to reinforce concrete and in masonry structures. You can purchase it in all sorts of diameters (we chose 5/8-inch for strength) and they will cut it in any length, up to 20 feet. We decided on eight-foot lengths. I pounded the bars 18 inches into the ground with a sledge hammer, meaning the stakes are six-and-one-half feet tall.

At 46 cents per foot for the rebar, our purchase of six pieces came to $22.13. That seems like a lot for snap peas. But of course these will last forever. I intend to plant cucumbers here once the peas are finished. In the past, I’ve used a trellis made of PVC pipe for cucumbers and climbing beans. I still have two of those trellises stored in the garage. But these rebar stakes are easier to handle in many ways–easier to store as well–and less obtrusive. Notice, we used brown twine this year instead of white string. It should disappear more easily into the background.

The peas have little tendrils for grabbing on to things like this string as they grow taller. Go, peas, go!

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  • KennyS

    I used electrical conduit. Two 8′ lengths connected by an 8′ crosspiece with two elbows. I don’t remember how must it costs but it won’t rust. You don’t need to hammer it into the ground as it can easily be connected to the sides of a raised bed.