Sure, you can buy a cheap boring trellis for your climbing plants to explore. But even better is making your own fun structure for these cute flowers. If you were a sweet pea, wouldn’t you want to climb up this?
Sure, you can buy a cheap boring trellis for your climbing plants to explore. But even better is making your own fun structure for these cute flowers. If you were a sweet pea, wouldn’t you want to climb up this?
MATERIALS
4’ (122 cm) sections of bamboo or similar wooden sticks
Rubber band
Colorful twine
Dandelion weeder or similar metal pokey thing
Sweet pea seeds
1. Gather the bamboo sticks and keep them together by wrapping the rubber band around them three to four times until tight, about 3" (7.5 cm) from the ends of the sticks. Wrap the twine around the rubber band, covering it completely. (Fig. 1)
Fig. 1: Wrap the rubber band around the bamboo. Then wrap the twine.
2. Spread the other ends of the bamboo out in a circle in the location you’ll be planting the seeds. Use the dandelion weeder to poke holes in the ground for the sticks. Push the sticks firmly into the soil—you don’t want it to come crashing down while your flowers are growing! (Fig. 2)
3. Plant two to three seeds at the base of each pole, following package directions, and water them in well. (Fig. 3)
SEED COATS OF ARMOR
Seeds are protected by an outer layer called the seed coat. Seed coats protect the inner baby plant from drying out and injury. To soften the outer seed coat for your sweet peas, soak them in water for several hours before planting (Fig. 4).When you are ready to plant them, the seed coat should be soft enough for you to lightly scratch it open with a fingernail or stick, allowing water and nutrients to enter the seed and begin growth.
Some seed coats are so strong they have to pass through the stomach acids of animals or live through a forest fire for the seed to grow!
DIG DEEPER! 