How to Grow Beans With an Apparatus

Pole beans grow long vines that reach up to 6 feet long. Adding a support apparatus around the plants forces them to grow upward and maximizes the space in your garden. Insert the apparatus at planting and start training the plants to attach shortly after the sprouts appear. Most pole bean varieties are ready for harvest in about 65 days and grow quickly in moist soil when the weather becomes hot.

Tiller
Slow-release vegetable fertilizer
Rake
Shovel
Support pole
Dry grass clippings

Instructions

- 1
  Work 3 to 4 inches of organic compost into the soil with a tiller and smooth the surface with a rake. Sprinkle a slow-release vegetable fertilizer over the surface using the application rate listed for the garden area. Rake lightly and let the soil rest for one week.
- 2
  Move soil into 3-inch-tall planting mounds that are 12 inches across. Space the mounds 3 feet apart.
- 3
  Insert a 6-foot-tall wooden stake in the center of each mound as an apparatus to support the beans.
- 4
  Sow four bean seeds evenly around the pole at a distance of 1 inch from the pole and a depth of 1 inch in the soil.
- 5
  Train the bean vines to grab the pole as they grow from the soil by wrapping the young vines around the base of the pole. The vines will naturally attach to the pole and grow upward.
- 6
  Remove weeds around the pole to prevent them from choking the bean plants. Use caution since bean plants have a shallow root system. Spread 2 inches of dry grass clipping over the growing mounds to help with weed control.
- 7
  Monitor the soil moisture and apply water to keep the soil evenly moist during the growing season when rainfall amounts are less than 1 inch per week.

How to Build a Bean Teepee

What Are Half Runner Beans?

Growing Beans