How to Make a Trellis for Pole Beans

Pole beans grow best on a trellis or on poles. If pole beans were left to grow along the ground, it would be impossible to harvest the beans without damaging the plants. Giving pole beans support also allows air circulation around the plants and helps prevent disease. Building a trellis is easier with beans because they wind around whatever structure they cling to, unlike vegetables such as cucumbers, which grab on to structures using tendrils.

Things You'll Need

• 22 bamboo or cedar poles 1-2 inches in diameter and 8 feet long
• Garden twine

Instructions

1. Prepare the garden bed for planting beans in an area of the garden protected from high winds and with a north-south orientation. The reason that a north-south orientation is important is because air moves north and south more often than east-west and creates air movement around the pole beans and helps prevent diseases. Most seed packets provide enough seeds for a 20- to 30-foot row, so you need two packets for this project. Make pole bean beds 4-6 feet wide. Build the trellis before planting the beans.

2. Take 16 of the 8-foot poles and make two rows down the middle of the bed with rows 2 feet apart and poles located directly across from each other. Place poles 3 feet apart down the row. Push or bury one end of each pole 10-12 inches into the soil and at an inward-facing angle. The angle should be sufficient to allow the poles located directly across from each other to cross 10 inches from the top of each pole.

   Secure the poles where they cross at the top with garden twine. Each set of two poles should be able to stand on its own once secured with garden twine.

3. Lay the remaining 8-foot-long poles across the top of the pole structures by setting them into the "V" created where the poles crossed. Overlap the ends of the poles as you lay them across the top of the structure. They should form a continuous line across the top of the structure. Secure poles with garden twine.

4. Take two poles and place one pole at each end of trellis angling the poles into the top of the trellis in order to prevent the trellis from moving back and forth. Push or bury the end of these poles 10 inches into the soil and secure the area where they meet the trellis with garden twine.

5. Plant 3-4 bean seeds at the base of each pole.

Tips & Warnings

• If beans need help getting started climbing the poles, wind the young plants counter-clockwise around the pole.

References

• beans and peas
• trellises and cages to support garden vegetables
• build your own vegetable trellis