Interesting and imaginative ideas for supporting beans and peas

[bigcatmaniac]

Hi there

I'm starting to think about ways to support my beans and peas - on quite an exposed and windy site.  I'm not very good at DIY - and could just go down the canes stuck in the ground in rows or teepees look - but before I do this I thought I'd try the forum first for some interesting and imaginative ideas for how to support them.  What has worked for you in the past>

Many thanks

Bigcat

[bigcatmaniac]

[Obelixx]

My veg garden backs onto an arable field to the north west of the house and in summer the sun goes down over there so I didn't want a solid boundary fence.  I bought some 5m x 2m strips of metal grid that builders use for reinforcing concrete - available in various guages of metal and grid squares - and attached it to vertical wooden posts taken from our daughter's old climbing frame that we set in concrete.

It makes a very sturdy but barely visible barrier to keep the dog in, let the pheasants through to feed and also support beans, pumpkins (which I train up for extra sun on the fruits and more space on the ground - and a fan trained tayberry.   I've also grown beans up it.

In winter, it's easy to attach a 90cms high roll of split canes as a windbreak.   The metal grid isn't expensive and will last years.   

[steve76]

Hi
I use the good old cane's never had a problem yet ;) and it means i can move the beans around every year as not permanently set up.
Saying that a bloke a couple of plots up from me has a 2x2 A frame set in to concrete at each end and a 2x2 top pieace running along the top that he has string coming down and buried in the soil when he plants his beans, very sturdy structure.

[taurus]

I use a frame that had a swing/ see saw/ etc on.  Took the bits off.  Painted it green.  Its really sturdy and when the beans and sweet peas are growing it stays in place.  After the growing season and the canes have been removed I do have to get someone to help me move it as its to awkward to do on my own.  When I tried to use just canes they never stayed in place as like you its a very windy site here.   These frames are often on freeserve sites for free.

[grannyjanny]

OH has built a munty this year so we will see how we get on with it.

[galina]

The 'classic' alternatives are growing beans up corn or up sunflowers.  In both cases the support plants have to be sown at least a month before the beans.

Chain link fencing is popular too.  And ornamental obelisks and rose arches, pergolas and the like.  You can construct a bean walk by pushing in 8 ft canes or similar either side of a path and connect them with a shorter cane at the top.  You can leave this off and still have a nice 'bean walk'.  This looks particularly good if you have different colour flowers - for example red, red and white, pink and white flowering runnerbeans alternating.

Old Fishing nets can be made into bean supports with strong canes at intervals.  I noticed some very stong plastic 8 inch poles at Wilkos yesterday which would do the job well.  If you have access to natural wooden poles, they look super and rustic.

A regular correspondent on this list has recycled some red/orange plastic builders 'fencing' for peas and was very successful with that.

[aj]

Peas - I sow in blocks and put a cane at each corner - they hold onto each other and a few lengths of twine tied round keep the whole lot sturdy.

Beans - Munty frame. This year my Munty frame bed has spuds in it so I'm just using canes dotted around the place at an angle of / so that the beans hang down and I can still get to them all.

[caroline7758]

What is a munty frame? ???

[Obelixx]

I googled and it looks like goal posts so you could recycle an old kids' set.

[aj]

A munty frame is a little more complex than a goalpost.

And quite hard to explain! google it in images and have a look at the 5th photo that comes up.

The frame is orientated short side on the north and tall side on the south. The beans are grown along the short side, and grow up and over the frame and head towards the top of the tall side.

It means they grow towards the sun [south] and underneath, you can put other crops - usually I put beetroot, lettuce and dwarf beans. It's a real space saver!

[grannyjanny]

AJ did you find the munty successful bean crop wise, I read somewhere that you can plant 2 beans per support, is that right? Ours is quite small, 8' x 5'.

[aj]

AJ did you find the munty successful bean crop wise, I read somewhere that you can plant 2 beans per support, is that right? Ours is quite small, 8' x 5'.

Absolutely! 2 to each twine.

The best method ever.

Otherwise I'd not use it.

[shirlton]

I noticed someone on our allotment growing them up a couple of wilkies arches joined together so Tony made a long tunnel of them using 9 of them.We bought them online when they were half priced £3 They are of course strengthened with wooden stakes to make them stronger.They did  quite well last year and much easier to pick. Looked nice too.

[Unwashed]

I grew runner beans on my geodesic last year but the 2x1 frame was too big for the beans to grip and I had to tie them in.

[Mr Smith]

Five pieces of wood, two goal posts five foot high, one cross bar eight foot long, two supports for the goal posts at fortyfive degrees knocked in to the ground, cover with netting and one inch nails to support netting which I use each year with no problems,

[bigcatmaniac]

Hi guys

What brilliant ideas and its only been a few hours since I posted my message!  Many thanks - I knew this was the right place to seek advice.  The munty sounds great - had never even heard of that before.  Will try freecycle first for some old swings/ goalposts first and see what I come up with.

Thanks again.

Big cat

[artichoke]

Spent a happy few hours today with son and his wife, building a second Munty frame as my Mothering Sunday treat. We used poles from a big hazel hedge and now have the basic "goal post" up, waiting for strings. It really is true that the beans mostly hang down and are easier to pick. I like the tepee shape but you really have to hunt for the beans inside all that foliage.

[grannyjanny]

I'm wondering if I can utilise the the front 3' supports of the munty. Is there a compact bush type squash I could grow up them, ideas please?

[aj]

Spent a happy few hours today with son and his wife, building a second Munty frame as my Mothering Sunday treat. We used poles from a big hazel hedge and now have the basic "goal post" up, waiting for strings. It really is true that the beans mostly hang down and are easier to pick. I like the tepee shape but you really have to hunt for the beans inside all that foliage.

They will along the top - and of course, it's for climbers not dwarfs!

I leave all my beans on the plant as I use mine in winter stews rather than as green beans; but yes, you get the beans along the short side from the path and the sloping side from the other path; I have popped a stepping stone on the bed below as my beds are more than 4ft wide so it enables me to harvest hangers near the place where the string changes direction [if that makes sense].

[Digeroo]

I used hazel to produce a wall of peas on quite a windy site last year.  I also grow them up shubs and fruit bushes.  So later in the year I should have a pea flowered cotoneaster.   Also have grown climbing pumpkins up apple treas.

I do like you geodesic unwashed I keep saying I must build one. 

I use cable ties to hold my canes together it is quicker than tieng string.