Grow a Sweet Pea Garden Arch

These instructions for growing a sweet pea garden arch are from the book, Gardening on a Shoestring: 100 Fun Upcycled Garden Projects by Alex Mitchell. Grab some sweet pea seeds and willow rods, and make this gorgeous, scented archway (or secret tunnel) for your garden.

If you are new to growing sweet peas, see 10 Best Tips for Growing Sweet Peas.

How to Make a Sweet Pea Tunnel Garden Arch

This selection from Gardening on a Shoestring is used with permission from Cool Springs Press who also provided a review copy of the book. 

This project uses willow rods. If they are not available in your area, ask for alternate suggestions at a local garden nursery or garden club. What you choose may depend on whether you want the arch to last for just one season or many years to come.

Materials

• Brown, soaked willow rods (not living or green since this may root).
  For every three feet of tunnel you will need around 40 rods each about 9 feet long.
  If the tunnel is for children, they could be a little shorter.
• Garden twine
• Scissors
• Sweet pea vine seeds (Botanical Interests)

When to Sow Sweet Pea Seeds

There are a few options for timing your seed starting:

1   Start indoors late winter / early spring (8-10 weeks before last frost).
2   Sow directly outdoors early spring (6 weeks before last frost).
3   Sow directly outdoors in autumn: recommended for mild winter climates where the ground does not freeze.

The optimum soil temperature for sowing sweet pea seeds is
55-65°F (13-18°C).

See How to Grow Sweet Peas for detailed growing tips.

How to Do It

• Push the thick ends of the rods into the ground on either side of the path, spacing them more or less equally, at a distance of about 3 inches apart.
• Now bend over the tops of each opposing pair so they meet in the middle.
• When you are happy with the height of the tunnel, tie the rods together at that point to form a series of arches.
• Strengthen the top of the tunnel by twirling any thin ends left over around the opposite rod and typing in the ends securely.

Next Steps

• Now strengthen the sides of the tunnel and give your sweet peas plenty of horizontal supports to climb.
• Make sure the rods have been soaked so they are sufficiently flexible.
• Take a rod and carefully weave it horizontally through all the uprights, about 8 inches from the ground.
• If it doesn’t reach all the way to the end of the tunnel, continue with a new rod, tying any loose ends as you go.
• Repeat just above the first lateral, but this time weaving in the alternate pattern to create a strong bond.
• Weave in a further rod so you have three laterals and then repeat this on the other side of the tunnel.
• Weave in two further groups of laterals on each side, at about 16 inch intervals, so that the tunnel feels strong and secure.

Sowing Time

Now you are ready to sow your sweet peas.

It is recommended to first soak the seeds in moist paper towel for a day or in a cup of warm water. Recommended soaking times vary. Some gardeners find just 30 minutes is enough while others go up to 24 hours. Test some and see what works for you.

• Space seeds about 2 inches apart along the base of the tunnel on each side.
• You want a profusion of color, so really pack in the seeds.
• Water well and protect the seedlings from slugs and snails until they are established.
• Tie in the stems to the supports as they grow to help them along and when they start flowering, keep picking to encourage them to produce more blooms.

After flowering, use these tips for collecting sweet pea seeds for next year.

~Melissa the Empress of Dirt ♛