How to Build a Trellis for Growing Beans

Beans come in many different varieties including green, purple and yellow. Some types are short, while other popular varieties grow on long vines. Vining or pole beans need support to grow upright; otherwise they sprawl on the ground and climb anything in the plant's path. Bean vines growing across the ground are more susceptible to slugs, rot and mildew. Build a trellis for your bean plants for a cleaner, healthier crop.

Peat moss
Compost
Manure
2 pieces 2-by-4 lumber, 8 feet long
Hammer
Nails
2 pieces 2-by-2 lumber, 8 feet long
Tape measure
Wire, heavy-duty
Pliers
Bean seeds

Instructions

- 1
  Remove the weeds and loosen the soil in your planting area. Mix in peat moss, compost and manure to fix any fertility and water drainage issues.
- 2
  Drive a 2-by-4 board 2 feet deep in the ground with a hammer at the end of the tow and another, 7 1/2 feet down the row. The height of the trellis is adjusted by shortening these boards.
- 3
  Nail one 2-by-2 board across the top of the two end boards and nail the other small board 6 inches from the ground to the end boards. This gives your trellis the horizontal support that it needs.
- 4
  Wrap a heavy-duty wire around the bottom support twice and then twist the end of the wire around the longer piece with a pair of pliers to secure it. Run the wire to the top board and wrap it around the board twice. Secure the end. Place a wire along the horizontal boards every 4 to 6 inches.
- 5
  Plant a bean seed under each wire 1 inch deep in the soil. This equals one plant per wire. Once the seedlings reach 6 inches tall, start to train the bean plant up the trellis wires.

Bean Plant Growth Experiments

Giant Bean Plants

Growing Beans