How thick a pole is okay for pole beans"

[Charlene Taylor]

Hello,

I just put up a l2 foot tipi of four poles to grow pole beans. I've grown bush beans for years, but never pole ones. Woodchucks have made me give up on bush beans where I live now.

The poles are each 3 inches in diameter at their bases, and taper to about two inches at the top. The poles are 4 feet apart at the bases.

Do I need to use twine/string attached to the tops or are these poles thin enough for the beans to wrap themselves around the poles?

Dumb question, probably, but pole beans are all new to me.

Thank you for any help with this, and any other tips on growing pole beans.

Charlene Taylor

[Priscilla Ballou]

I suspect the beans will twine just fine. Sometimes I run a bamboo across from one teepee to another and dangle strings down for a line of pole beans to grow up. I think they'll grow up anything!

I do love Italian pole beans. Last year I got an accidental second planting of them when I missed some pods, they fell and reseeded! I had lovely fresh green Italian beans in October (or was it November?). I called them my miracle beans.

Enjoy your pole beans!

[Pat Kiewicz]

Just curious, but how do you intend to keep the woodchucks from eating the pole beans? They may never get a chance to climb...and even if they do, woodchucks are pretty good climbers (I've seen them in mulberry trees, eating the leaves)

Those are pretty big poles! I've seen pictures of setups where large poles are used with strings running from the top of the pole down to the ground in a circle. Or no strings, but slimmer poles together at the top and spread out like the frame for a tipee.

I think with poles that size you might want to pegging in some strings in between them.

The nicest thing about pole beans is that most of the picking doesn't involve any stooping. Keep them picked regularly. Let a few pods mature so you have fresh seed for next year.

I have a variety that was given to me 20+ years ago that I save seeds from every year. Flat pods, large pinkish-brown seeds. Very tender, even when the pods are fairly mature (bulging with tiny beans).

[Dick Adams]

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the solution to critter problems from ants to deer is HOT peppers. I use Habeneros. My son recently discovered some ants have moved into a tree. This morning I am taking a gallon containing a quart of molasses (50% sugar) and water, heating to mix the molasses and the water, and spreading it on and around the tree. Then I will sprinkle Habenero pepper on and around the tree.

Want to get rid of woodchucks? Plant peppers around your garden and garlic too.

[lgb]

Probably work fine. I've always used garden netting on a frame attached to my raised beds, but that's not practical if you're planting a large amount.