How to Create a Teepee Trellis for Lush Vining Green Beans

Greens beans are a great veggie to have growing in your garden. They are really quick to germinate, are not too fussy, and usually offer an enormous harvest.

Green beans are a vining plant and need something to grow up to keep their tendrils off the ground and from climbing up and around other plants in your garden.

This doesn’t mean that you have to have some elaborate climbing frame or your beans to grow up. A few canes and a bit of string or wire with have you set for creating some teepees for your beans.

Not only are these efficient, but they also make some quite attractive non-permanent architecture for your garden scape. As well, their more slender shape makes them less likely to be blown over in the wind.

They are quick and easy to make and even work for your climbing pea varieties, too.

Source: GrowVeg/YouTube

Prepare Space and the Soil

For growing green beans, you need a sunny spot in your garden that gets at least 5 hours of direct sunlight a day. Remember that these teepees are going to be tall and towering, so think about what they might shade out later in the season.

Next, make sure that the soil you are using for planting is rich in organic matter, well-draining, weed-free, and loose.

Think About How Big You Want the Teepee to Be

Think about how high and wide you want the teepee to be. It is worth checking the seed packet of the bean seeds you are going to sow to get an idea of how tall the vines can get.  A good 6-8 should suffice for most varieties.

The diameter of the base of the teepee will depend on how many beans you want to plant and how much space you have in your garden plot.

If in doubt, make sure that the diameter is at least three feet wide with canes about one foot apart. If you make it too narrow, it won’t be able to maintain the weight of the beans and will more likely topple over. As well, a wider base will give your beans much more space to grow, making it healthier for them and much easier for you to harvest.

Source Materials for Making Your Teepee

You will need several 6-8 foot poles that are strong and sturdy. Some people use plastic pipes as something that is infinitely reusable and durable. However, if you try to avoid plastic and would prefer something a little more natural, try willow canes or even better, bamboo canes.

Use natural twine to secure your canes at the top and to string around the canes as something for the vines to grab onto.

Build Your Teepee

On the spot where you want to plant your beans, draw out a circle in the soil the size of the base of your teepee. You could also use a circular dustbin lid as a rough guide.

Next, push your canes at least six inches into the ground evenly around the circle, again, leaving about a foot between each one. Now, gather the canes together at the top and tie them together. Hopefully, you can reach it!

Give the vines something to grab by stringing a horizontal line of string around the circumference of the teepee about a foot up from the ground. Do this again a couple more times, evenly spacing them up the teepee.

Plant your Beans

When you plant your beans will depend on your climate and the type of bean you want to grow. Check the seeds packet for advice on this.

If you have plant starts, plant one or two plants on the outer edge of each teepee pole. If one of the two plants shows greater strength, weed out the other.

You may also direct sow bean seeds in the ground starting. They should sprout within a week. Sow two seeds on the outer edge of each pole, and weed out the weaker seedling.

Give your bean seedlings a good watering after planting and keep the soil moist throughout the growing season.

As the plants get going, encourage them to grab onto the poles and the string you have provided for them. You may even have to tie the small vines to the poles if they need a bit more directional Support.

Bonus- Green Bean Teepee Fun for the Kids

Source: Gardens That Matter/YouTube

Make a summer play den for the kids (or let’s face it, for you, too) by building an epic green bean teepee. Grow beans all around the teepee just as described above, but this time leave a gap as a door. The principle is the same. The result is just a much bigger version.

Hide in the den to escape the summer heat, read a book, or have a picnic.

Related Content:

• Scarlet Runner Beans Are Beautiful Plants and Beautiful Beans. You Could Be Growing Them!
• Fabaceae: How to Grow Plants from The Pea Family
• 15 Crowd-Pleasing Green Bean Recipes!
• 7 Vegetables That Are Quick and Easy for Kids to Grow
• What Are Nitrogen-Fixing Plants and Why You Should Be Growing Them
• 7 Plants That Enrich Your Garden Soil