Canes are expensive cheaper @ Boyes

savemoney

Just been to a few shops pricing up some 6 foot canes for my sweet peas. B&Q £3.49 for six canes. Proudfoots similar price for 6. Managed to get 10 foot canes for £2.50 from Boyes (mainly Northern based)

Cant believe how expensive they are now

freezspirit

Yep I went to my local co-op, pack of 10 2.1m was £4.99, they had a full tub full so thought I would think about it. went in next day to get some as it would be too much fuss to get on the bus to buy cheaper only to find that they were sold out.

dragon47

They have packs of 5 bamboo canes that are about 7 foot long in Wilkinsons for £1.48.

That's the best price I have seen so far this year.

suisidevw

Think it's about £1.50 for 10 in Morrisons too........

gpc273

Or you could wander down to the wood and cut some free ones, I coppiced some this weekend.

Sally_A

Naughty naughty GPC273, you could be disturbing nesting birds this time of year.

Best time is Oct to Feb when you can see the shape of the pole you are cutting.....with farmer's permission of course

dogstarheaven

on my new lotti, there's loadsa of willow that you can have if you're anywhere near Notts. Later in the yr when all the weeding/harvesting/digging's died down a bit, I shall get down to understand how to coppice the willow. This way, I'll have my own canes forever more! this is Alys Fowler's vid. that got me inspired - http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/video/2011/may/05/alys-fowler-growing-beans-peas-allotment-video

valk_scot

dogstarheaven wrote: »

on my new lotti, there's loadsa of willow that you can have if you're anywhere near Notts. Later in the yr when all the weeding/harvesting/digging's died down a bit, I shall get down to understand how to coppice the willow. This way, I'll have my own canes forever more! this is Alys Fowler's vid. that got me inspired - http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/video/2011/may/05/alys-fowler-growing-beans-peas-allotment-video

Yes but if you stick willow in the ground instead of canes then you'll be up to your eyeballs in willow next year. I grow one bed of willow, for baskets, and I do sometimes use it as the crosswise sections of plant supports. For the uprights though I use hazel (I have one hazel tree on the allotment which I pollard every year), one year old. Even after storing if for one year old willow isn't past taking root, not by a long way. Hazel is usually okay though.

dogstarheaven

Hmm, I'm not sure about that now.. My willow's hedged you see and I have had probs with suckers all over the lotti since we took over in Feb (v. overgrown plot with other nasties on there too) I've not noticed amongst all the weed growth whether there are still these suckers around as we dug out most of them in the early days before they came into leaf.I knew it was going to be a problem with willow spreading and found out the only way to eradicate this is to dig it completely out... but with a new lotti etc., it was nigh impossible

.. I'm not sure whether I can find Hazels in my area to pollard.. I shall have to dig out my Tree ID book...

splodger_seedswapper

i have never bought a cane in my life (not for the garden anyway- lol ) and i seem to have hundreds of them (mostly inherited from gardens / plots that i have taken over)

and if i should ever need any new stock - then i do have access to a large bamboo clump - so can cut my own if need be - and i do have access to a lovely little chestnut copse (if i do need bean poles etc)

but i would never ever consider buying them - and certainly not at those sort of prices - i'd rather use something else (that cost nowt)