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Beans, Peas & Legumes

Pole Bean Tepee and seed spacing

naturegirl_2007 5B SW Michigan

15 years ago

I've grown lots of bush beans but not pole beans. I'm thinking of making a tepee with half a dozen 6 foot long bamboo poles pushed into the ground a foot or so and tied together at the top.

How far apart should the bottom "circle" of poles be? When/if the runners get to the top, can I cut them off and have the plants send out side shots? I don't want them taller because children will be picking the beans. Or is this whole idea not so good with pole beans?

How many seeds should be planted at each of the 6 poles? Will I need to add twine in the gaps or do anything to encourage climbing?

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Comments (3)

jimster
15 years ago
There are many ways to trellis pole beans. Just keep in mind that they can grow taller than six feet and that they will be bushier at the top than at the bottom.

What you describe will no doubt work. The vines will grow off the tops of the tepees then flop over (unless you prune them). I'm not sure if pruning will cause side branching. I haven't done it. There will be some crowding at the top where all the poles converge. I wouldn't expect any of this to result in serious problems, even if it isn't optimal.

If you want a height of six feet, perhaps you should use eight foot poles to compensate for the slant, the overlap where they connect and for the part which will be stuck into the ground. Eight foot poles will probably make six foot tepees.

I have been using eight foot poles stuck in the ground vertically on three foot spacing. I plant a circle of six seeds around the base of each pole. I'm planning to try a different scheme this year.

Remember that, when the vines and foliage are fully grown, they offer a lot of wind resistance. If they aren't well anchored, the will get blown over.

Jim
naturegirl_2007 5B SW Michigan
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks, I am rethinking this idea after seeing your comments and some in another thread. Sounds like I may end up with quite the mess if I continue this way. I'm sure I'll find a use for the 6 foot poles somewhere in the garden.
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Hi, I've never grown beans on a teepee before, but here's what I'm planning to try this year. Materials are: 1 - 40" (1/3' of a standard 10' length) length of 3/4" diameter EMT, 1 - 10' (may be cut down to 8' ) 1/2" diameter EMT, 1 eyebolt, 1 - 2' diameter hula hoop, 6-8 pieces of twine about 15' long each, 4 garden staples. Optional - a one hole rubber lab stopper to fit end of 1/2" conduit. Affix eyebolt to one end of the 1/2" conduit. I plan to use an inexpensive lab stopper purchased on ebay with the eyebolt attached to that, but one could just drill a hole in the conduit and attach the eyebolt through that. Tie one end of each length of twine to the eyebolt. Pound about half the length of the 3/4" conduit into the ground until it is secure. Set the hula hoop on the ground surrounding the 3/4" conduit and set the 1/2" conduit into the 3/4" conduit sleeve. Thread each end of twine under the hula hoop at the desired location and then secure the hula hoop in place using garden staples. Pull each twine tight around the hula hoop and tie off. And - voila - a bean teepee! I haven't actually tried this, but it should work. You could also use a larger diameter hula hoop. I've found both 2' and 3' diameter hoops online for about $35/dozen. (Instead of using the 3/4" conduit, one could pound a length of rebar into the ground and set the 1/2" conduit over that). What I like about this system is that it's relatively inexpensive, easy to construct, easy to take down at the end of the season, and BEST OF ALL, you don't have to climb any ladders to set it up! What do you all think? Anne
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That looks like a well-tended garden. Are there 4 rows of pole beans, along those 2 trellises? And are there 2 rows of bush beans between the poles & the garden edge? The issue is not so much whether you have access, it is whether the sun will be able to penetrate to the inner rows when the vines are fully grown. You are located in a lower latitude, so the sun will be much higher in the sky than it is here. I can't tell your row orientation; if those rows run E-W, you might be able to get away with 36" spacing between rows (which was successful for me in San Diego) but those poles look closer than that. As the vines grow, they will shade each other, and the yield will be reduced on about the lower 1/2 of the shaded vines. The Earthway bean plate (I have one too) might be tolerable for bush beans, but IMO that spacing is much too close for pole beans. That is especially true in your humid climate, where poor air flow can promote disease. Hopefully others from the humid South will chime in, but my suggestion would be to thin those plants to at least 12" apart... and more than that, if two adjacent rows will be sharing the same trellis.
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Well, you're right. There's a lot of discussion about spacing. Six inches apart will give you larger, meaning wider, plants. I plant mine about four inches apart around a 3 foot circumference teepee. They do great. You can mix different varieties. I have done it. They definitely will cross pollinate, but if you don't mind or don't save seed it doesn't matter. (I grew Fortex and LA Purple pod together one time. Saved seed and got violet Fortex the next year. They were good.) You don't say where you live, but I can definitely recommend Rattlesnake as a great heat tolerant, productive, and delicious bean. Fortex is delicious. Not as productive in my heat, but is a great fall bean. I also like Emerite and LA Purple. I don't know if I'd mix snaps with Limas. Limas take so long to produce that my snaps would be done (due to high heat. The limas keep going). I find that one good teepee of limas, picked twice a week over the season gives me a year's supply. I mainly use them in soups and have a small family though. I love Mezcla. One of these years I'm going to try King of the Garden. :)
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jimster
15 years ago
The cheapest poles that are suitable, IMO, other than saplings you cut yourself, are furring strips. They are about 1" x 2" and 8'-0" long. There are many possible structures you could make, tepees, swing sets, etc. You can provide growing space by stringing twine or tying on the bamboo poles. Be sure that however you do it, it is braced against the wind. Some of my poles stuck in the ground blew over near the end of the season.

Jim

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