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:

[IMG]http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u405/raybo31/IMG_2330_zpsfddf22dc.jpg[/IMG]
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:

[IMG]http://i1066.photobucket.com/albums/u405/raybo31/IMG_2326_zpsc44bbf8d.jpg[/IMG]

Raybo:cry:

know anyone in the nba? :D maybe you need a 12' step ladder.

tom

Scissor type hedge trimmers...use the tip for cutting.

Tree loppers with long handles might also work.

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?

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.

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:D

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?

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

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.

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

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.

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 ;)

I'm thinking trained monkeys.

Hovercraft?

It might be too delicate a job for those "grabbers" that people use in retail.

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!