Metal arch allees for kids area

14 years ago

Okay, so allee is a little french, but think two metal arches lined up to form a tunnel. I have four arches total, so I want to make two tunnels. I want to grow climbing peas, pole beans and cherry tomatoes on the arches. (I'm trying to stay with things that will not hurt if they fall off the vine and hit a child on the head.)

I got a combination of three types of cherry tomato seeds...Sweet Gold F-1, Supersweet 100 F-1 and Sungold F-1. Will these get tall enough for the arches? The package says they grow 5' - 7' tall, but I wondered if any of you have tried these cherry tomatoes? Have you planted them by arches? I thought I'd tie them to the arches with those green dyed pieces of cut up nylons. The different colored cherry tomatoes and the green and purple beans should look great, if it works out the way I hope.

The potager forum is kind of slow right now and the gardening with kids forum is a ghost town, so any help you all could supply would be GREATLY appreciated! I also have baby pumpkins, but I have a really cool structure for those to grow on :)

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Comments (6)

naturegirl_2007 5B SW Michigan
14 years ago
It would take most of my growing season for the tomatoes to grow to the listed heights. I see you list a zone 4 location. You may not have enough time to see the arches well covered for long. The pole beans should cover them quicker. In addition to the green and purple pole beans, you can get yellow ones and streaked ones. Maybe with beans filling in the upper parts, the slower growing tomatoes would look fine even if they only cover part of the arch.

What varieties of peas do you have that grow tall. I've never had any grow over 3 or 4 feet tall....but then I've never looked for ones that were tall.

I hope you post some photos of your garden this summer. Your ideas sound like alot of fun. And yes, the kids gardening forum is slow....I used to look at it and sometimes post there, but I can't remember even looking at it in quite awhile.

I'm hoping to add a new kid feature to a garden I help with this summer. We'll use patio stones to create a hopscoth game. The patio stones will be set flush with the ground in a grassy area. We should be able to mow right over them. I haven't decided if I want to paint the numbers and corresponding number of veggies (maybe a flower or two) myself or if I'll let kids help :) Seems like I should let the kids help, but we'll see. One onion, two tulips, three something or others....guess I better think on this some more...maybe three thrips....bring in the garden pests, too.
jonhughes
14 years ago
I only grow Sungold, so I can't comment on the others, but the Sungolds are sooooooooo awesome,literally tastes like candy, when I am out in the garden,I eat way more than I bring in to the house.....sooo good, mine always grow over 10' tall and I need to prune them so I can reach them with a ladder ;-)
They should do great on a arched tunnel,though if you have soil as good as mine ,they may make it to the other side before the end of the season ;-)
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curt_grow
14 years ago
One of my favorites the yellow pear Heirloom grows like a weed here in zone 4. They will even come up volunteer. grows fast and produces all season long the small fruit is mild and kids will be after these. How about some small gourd they should be great climbers just like there cousins cukes and pumpkins and would be great for a project or decorations.

Curt :-)
lavender_lass
Original Author
14 years ago
Naturegirl- We have cold winters and a fairly short growing season...but, the summers are really hot and most things do grow fast in July and August. The climbing peas I use are Dwarf Grey Sugard peas (lavender and rose blossoms) and they probably grow four to five feet tall. They're very pretty, looking like small sweat pea flowers. The kids love them and I use them instead of sweet peas in the garden, since I showed the kids how to eat peas right off the vine...oops! so only edible peas are grown here.

Part of the reason things grow so well is probably all the well aged horse manure I have from my six horses :) I think the tomatoes should do well, but I like your idea of mixing them up with the beans. Maybe beans on the back arch and tomatoes on the front.

I love your hopscotch idea, but I think you're right...you should paint the pavers. Are you planning to urethane the stones after you paint them...that can be difficult because it takes several thin layers when it's applied. You can always have some stepping stones they can paint (and maybe take home at the end of the season) if they like the hopscotch stones.

Johnhughes- Good to know the Sungold grow so well for you :)

Curt- I have some small pumpkins and gourds I'm growing to grow on "spidey" which is a metal gazebo topper. The gazebo was a display model on clearance, since the welds were no longer holding very well. Mom kept the four legs and used them for 2' x 8' metal trellis against her deck. I got the top (about 8' in diameter and 2' tall) with four curved "legs" coming off the center piece of metal. It really looks like some strange spider, so the kids love it. The nephews want to plant mini pumpkins and gourds on the legs and let watermelon sprawl around it. Maybe we'll add a cucumber!
vikingkirken
14 years ago
The Sungolds will get huge, I haven't grown the other two. Sungold is usually voted one of the top two cherry tomatoes over on the tomato forum (along with Black Cherry)!
armymomma
14 years ago
How about pickling cukes too, just for variety? They stay small and will climb out of control!

Metal arch allees for kids area

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naturegirl_2007 5B SW Michigan

jonhughes

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Metal arch allees for kids area

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naturegirl_2007 5B SW Michigan

jonhughes

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