Kids Go Gardening - plants that climb

Build a teepee from sticks or bamboo stakes, wrap some net around a pot, or find an old gate or a ladder. Now you have a climbing frame - not for people, but for plants!

How to grow Sweet Peas

You will need:

• A packet of seeds - pick your favourite colour or choose packet of mixed colours.
• A sunny, weed-free patch of garden soil, or a big pot filled with planting mix.
• Fertiliser, such as Yates Thrive Natural Blood & Bone.
• Bamboo stakes or some sticks you might find in the garden, and some string.

1. Prepare your garden soil or fill a big tub with growing mix. Mix in some blood and bone fertiliser. Sweet peas are hungry plants!
2. Build your climbing frame. Use your stakes or sticks to build a teepee shape. Push them firmly into the soil and tie the tops together with string. Wind some extra string around your frame for your plants to grab hold of as they climb.
3. Sow your seed next to your climbing frame, about 10cm apart. Follow the instructions on your seed packet.
4. Water gently. You shouldn’t need to water again until they are growing. Apply slug bait or used coffee grounds to guard against pesky snails.
5. Count the days as you wait for your first green should to pop out of the soil. Depending on the weather this will take a week or two.

TIPS

• Cover the soil around your pea plants with straw to protect the roots and block weeds.
• Sweet peas are thirsty! Once they are growing you will need to water every day it doesn’t rain, especially if growing them in a pot. To protect the soil from drying out too fast, put a layer of straw mulch around the bottom of your plants.
• The more you pick, the more they’ll grow!

FUN FACTS

• Sweet peas are the cousins of beans and edible peas. They all belong to the legume family. But you can’t eat sweet peas!
• Many climbing plants (such as sweet peas and cucumbers) have special tendrils that help them climb. Other plants have suckers so they can stick to walls.

FACT: Some climbing plants are serious weeds! Find out more on weedbusters.co.nz

Wierd and wonderful!

Build a climbing frame to grow some crazy warty Dinosaur Gourds this summer. You can also let the vines scramble over the ground if you have space.

Start your plants off in spring by sowing seeds in little pots. Otherwise you can wait and plant the seeds straight in the ground outside around labour weekend. Wait until late October or November to before you plant them outside. Gourds are for decoration and not nice to eat but they are a type of pumpkin and need warm summer weather to grow.

Your Dinosaur Gourds will be ready to pick at the end of summer. If you let them dry, they’ll last for ages. You can paint on them to make them even better. Or decorate them with eyes and teeth for an instant dinosaur!