Pole beans?

Tracydr · May 22, 2015

Growing pole beans on bamboo teepees this year. How many beans per pole? I'm thinking of using 4-5 poles per teepee and want to maximize the number of varieties and production. I've usually used a cattle panel trellis.
Would it be the same for pole Limas?

Tormato · May 23, 2015

I use 4 pole teepees, 6 plants per pole, 6" between plants.

Pole limas need about 16" spacing between plants.

Nematode · May 27, 2015

I use an overhead wire with tomato twine that the pole beans climb up with the help of a couple tomato clips.
Double overhead wire 18" apart 5 beans per foot in a wide row underneath the wires. 5ft row centers. Kind of weird but works for me.
Hope that helps.

Tracydr · May 27, 2015

Thanks,everyone.
I have some big bamboo poles. I will either need to whack off the tops this weekend or not be able to reach the top. I built my teepees last weekend and my dad didn't think I should cut them. Since he was helping, I deferred. He's back home now,so I will chop them. I think they're about 20 feet high!

Tormato · May 29, 2015

My poles (maple) are ~11 feet long, the base buried about a foot into the soil, for an overall height of 10 feet.

With perfect weather, and the right variety, vines can climb to the top and almost all the way back down to the ground.

I need a ladder to help in assembly (and to help in sometimes picking the most flavorful pods that are out of reach. With most beans, I simply pick those that I can reach and let the highers ones go to seed.

Tracydr · May 29, 2015

Thanks,Tormato.
For my next bamboo project,I'd like to try making a trellis with bamboo with a horizontal pole suspended from two or three poles from each end and strings hanging down.
Since figuring out how easy it is to cut down bamboo with the battery operated reciprocating saw, and taking the branches off with a big meat cleaver, I'm much more enthused about harvesting it.
The pruner and branch loper were just not getting the job done.

May 30, 2015

I just trim the bamboo branches back a bit and use the full-length poles singly. They are flexible enough that I can just pull down on them to pick the beans that are up at the top.

If you tie them into a teepee, they are rigid and you can't do that.

The poles last for many years.

Father'sDaughter · May 31, 2015

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tormato

My poles (maple) are ~11 feet long, the base buried about a foot into the soil, for an overall height of 10 feet.

With perfect weather, and the right variety, vines can climb to the top and almost all the way back down to the ground.

I need a ladder to help in assembly (and to help in sometimes picking the most flavorful pods that are out of reach. With most beans, I simply pick those that I can reach and let the highers ones go to seed.

That's exactly how dad grows them and he's been using the same poles forever. I'm hoping to inherit them some day, but not too soon.

DjonesNC · May 30, 2016

This year I made my first teepee with 3 poles and three beans @ the base of each pole. Days later I realized I order new beans, so when they arrived I planted rows between the poles. Now the plan is to add twine over the row planting so they will climb the sides. I also crafted netting to add to a new trellis I built using electric conduit.

May 22, 2015	#1
Tracydr Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2011 Location: Laurinburg, North Carolina, zone 7 Posts: 3,207	Pole beans? Growing pole beans on bamboo teepees this year. How many beans per pole? I'm thinking of using 4-5 poles per teepee and want to maximize the number of varieties and production. I've usually used a cattle panel trellis. Would it be the same for pole Limas?

May 23, 2015	#2
Tormato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MA Posts: 4,971	I use 4 pole teepees, 6 plants per pole, 6" between plants. Pole limas need about 16" spacing between plants.

May 27, 2015	#3
Nematode Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2012 Location: massachusetts Posts: 1,710	I use an overhead wire with tomato twine that the pole beans climb up with the help of a couple tomato clips. Double overhead wire 18" apart 5 beans per foot in a wide row underneath the wires. 5ft row centers. Kind of weird but works for me. Hope that helps.

May 29, 2015	#5
Tormato Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: MA Posts: 4,971	My poles (maple) are ~11 feet long, the base buried about a foot into the soil, for an overall height of 10 feet. With perfect weather, and the right variety, vines can climb to the top and almost all the way back down to the ground. I need a ladder to help in assembly (and to help in sometimes picking the most flavorful pods that are out of reach. With most beans, I simply pick those that I can reach and let the highers ones go to seed.

May 30, 2015	#7
LDiane Guest Posts: n/a	I just trim the bamboo branches back a bit and use the full-length poles singly. They are flexible enough that I can just pull down on them to pick the beans that are up at the top. If you tie them into a teepee, they are rigid and you can't do that. The poles last for many years.

May 30, 2016	#9
DjonesNC Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2016 Location: Charlotte, NC Posts: 31	This year I made my first teepee with 3 poles and three beans @ the base of each pole. Days later I realized I order new beans, so when they arrived I planted rows between the poles. Now the plan is to add twine over the row planting so they will climb the sides. I also crafted netting to add to a new trellis I built using electric conduit.