How to Grow a Pea Playroom

Remember when you were just a little kid and could hide in tunnels and forts made in the tall grass of spring? This easy-to-grow pea playroom will create the same type of hideaway for the little explorers in your family.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Compost Makers
• Hoes
• Liquid Fish Fertilizer
• Shovels
• Sugar Snap Peas
• Bamboo Pole
• Twine
• Twine
• Shovels

1. Choose a sunny site in your garden.

2. Pull and remove the weeds from a 4-foot-by-4-foot area.

3. Turn the soil over, adding organic compost if necessary to make the soil rich in nutrients and fast draining.

4. Purchase wire pea supports from your local nursery or make a frame from 6-foot bamboo poles. The wire supports, or cages, are inexpensive to buy and can be used year after year.

5. Place the pea cages around the perimeter of your prepared garden plot forming a box shape.

6. Tie twine across the top of the box to support the fast growing pea plants.

7. Plant seeds of English or snap peas around the perimeter of the box. Remember not to plant seeds too deeply; less than 1 inch is plenty deep.

8. Protect emerging pea seedlings from hungry birds with empty 1-quart milk cartons with the bottoms removed. You can make two or three protective collars from one milk carton.

9. Encourage the young pea plants to grow toward the wire frame. When full grown, they should cover the frame.

10. Keep soil moist. Fertilize every three weeks with liquid fish emulsion to ensure rapid growth.

Tips & Warnings

• Plant peas in late fall in mild-winter areas or early spring in cold-winter climates.
• Form long bamboo poles into the shape of a teepee instead of using the wire cages if you prefer.
• Summer playrooms can be grown on the same frame or trellis using different plants; scarlet runner beans, blue lake green beans, morning glory or other fast growing annual vines are all excellent choices for summer.
• Remember to leave an opening for the door!
• Not only will your kids have a great secret playroom, but you will have a bounty of peas to eat and enjoy.

[Wasatch]

on 2/10/2009 Good tips. I could do this in the same place with pole beans later in the summer.