We made our first bean pole teepee 8 years ago when Maia was a toddler and I was obsessed with Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots. Maia is no longer little, but I still love Sharon Lovejoy’s beautiful book on gardening with kids. The ideas and book are both magical and functional. Plus there’s a lot of good, basic information on gardening that’s both instructional and motivational.
But I’m getting off on a tangent…
I bring up Roots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots, because that’s where I first got the idea for a bean pole teepee.
I took inspiration from her Moon Garden and her Garden of Giants but went super simple. Our first couple teepees were covered with beans and Heavenly Blue morning glories. And we had one with yard long beans. But for the most part, we’ve made this about the beans (to cover the teepee fort and as a way to grow and trellis them). It’s amazing how quickly the bean plants cover the teepee structure once they get going in the warm weather. But we also enjoy the teepee before the beans provide a living fort.
Sometimes we cover it with fabric temporarily. The kids have had fun weaving ribbons and yarn in and out of the teepee like a fort loom. And they’ve added flowers from around the garden for temporary decoration.
Anyway, the kids have requested a bean pole teepee again this year, so as I started planning it, I thought I’d put together a post on how to make one. It’s quite easy. And so rewarding!
How to Make a Bean Pole Teepee
MATERIALS
- Bamboo poles* or wood poles, 6-10 feet tall (8-10′ is ideal)
- Twine or string
- Soil amendments, if necessary
- Pole bean seeds, such as Kentucky Wonder
- Annual climbing flower seeds, such as Heavenly Blue morning glories (optional)
*Bamboo and wood poles can be purchased at garden supply and hardware stores. If you’re lucky, though, you can find someone with an overly vigorous grove of bamboo (aren’t they all?) who would be more than happy to have you cut and take some longer poles.
INSTRUCTIONS
First, determine teepee size and location. Loosely assemble the bamboo poles in the teepee shape (without tying them yet), both to see if you like how it looks in the location you’ve picked (as sunny as possible!), to decide on a doorway, and to figure out the size of the footprint. If you’re okay with the size and location, mark the teepee footprint with string, a garden hose, or with a line of flour. Move the teepee poles out of the way.
Remove the sod from the horseshoe-shaped teepee footprint and amend the soil for planting. I like to dig in some compost or composted cow manure (to add nutrients) and some Nature’s Helper (to help loosen my heavy, clay soil.
Next, assemble your teepee poles, pushing the bottom ends into the amended soil, and tying the top ends together. If you have boy scout experience, you’ll probably make some simple yet indestructible knot. If you’re like me, you’ll just wind it around a bunch of times, tie it as many ways as you can think, and then wonder why it looks more like a birds’ nest than a sailor knot.
Now, add twine to the bamboo pole framework. Tie off the end of your twine at the top of one of the poles and, working your way around and down the teepee, create a trellis system for the pole beans to grow up. You’ll pull the twine tautly from one pole to the next, wrap it around that pole, then pull it tightly over to the next pole, etc. When you reach the doorway, reverse direction back around the teepee, until the entire teepee, except for the door, is covered with a network of twine. The final stretch of twine should be close enough to the ground that the baby bean seedlings will be able to reach their climbing support without too much problem.
Finally, plant your bean seeds! Follow the directions on your seed packet, but here are general directions for planting beans. After danger of frost is past (and preferably when it’s warm with night temps staying above 55 degrees fahrenheit), plant seeds 1 inch deep and about 3-4 inches apart. (Add a legume inoculant, if desired. We do if we have it. They seem to grow fine when we don’t.) Cover with soil, pat down firmly, and water well.
You can also add other seeds or seedlings at this time, either other annual vines, such as morning glories, that will climb up the teepee, or other low-growing annuals such as marigolds or nasturtiums, that will form a visual base to the teepee. The beans should sprout after about a week.
Keep the bean seedlings well watered and help guide them to the base of the teepee if they seem to need it. Progress may seem slow at first, but once they get going you will be surprised at how quickly the beans cover your teepee structure. Take regular photos of the progress, just for fun!
Use the bean pole teepee as a play area, fort, or reading nook at any stage of bean growth.
Harvest the beans! Once your bean plants start producing beans (after about 60 days), pick them! Keep the beans picked so that the plants continue to produce them.
When your beans are finished for the season and start to turn ugly and tan, you can either pull down the entire structure (as I usually do) or clip the twine and bean plants off the teepee framework and toss them in the compost.
So! Now that you know how to make a bean pole teepee, are you going to do it? It’s really quite easy and very rewarding! We’ve been growing these almost every year and the kids keep asking for a repeat, so I highly recommend it.
Plus it’s just a good way to grow beans!
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24 Comments
Kim Andrews
April 12, 2016 at 4:50 pmRoots, Shoots, Buckets & Boots. Is a favorite in our home too! So many wonderful ideas. We will be trying the bean pole teepee this year! Thanks for sharing.
Jean Van't Hul
April 13, 2016 at 5:17 amIsn’t it such a wonderful book, Kim?! Enjoy your bean pole teepee!
Louise
April 13, 2016 at 3:22 pmDo you have problems with slugs?
Jean Van't Hul
April 17, 2016 at 2:18 pmWe don’t, Louise, but if they’re a problem with your beans, I think there are some remedies out there you could try.
Jamie
April 25, 2016 at 10:55 amDo you mow inside the teepee? Mulch?
Rebecca
May 11, 2016 at 10:05 pmMy daughters recently played in a teepee like this at the North Carolina Botanical Garden, and they absolutely loved it. We’re in the process of moving to St. Louis, but once we get settled, I can’t wait to try and recreate this in our backyard!
Bev R.
March 17, 2017 at 2:10 amI would NOT recommend planting Morning Glory vine; you can never get rid of it once it takes hold.
Jean Van't Hul
March 24, 2017 at 8:54 amIt depends on what kind and where you live, Bev. The kinds I plant don’t do that.
Kate
January 15, 2018 at 5:39 pmOoooooh, we’re moving to a property with a little space and I CANNOT wait to try this! Thank you for sharing your creative idea.
Jean Van't Hul
January 16, 2018 at 4:26 amYou’re so welcome, Kate! I hope you and your family enjoy your bean pole teepee!
Gretchen Welles
March 14, 2018 at 8:13 pmI the early 90’s I made a teepee simular to the polebean idea. I used the beautiful blue morning glory and another variety of morning glory called moon flower. This blooms at night!
So our teepee had blossoms day and night. At night our daughter would go out with a flashlight to see the moths gathered on the flowers. It was a fun place for the girls to read, talk, and play with their dolls.
SW
July 11, 2018 at 5:59 pmHi there- wondering, how many bean plants did you have at the base of each pole?
Jean Van't Hul
July 12, 2018 at 4:13 amA few. Maybe 3-4 at the base of each pole, partly in case any of them don’t grow.
Jessie Colmer
July 12, 2018 at 5:36 amHi there,
Random question, but just wondering where you found the gorgeous font for the “BEAN POLE TEEPEE” on your pinterest post? It’s just what I’ve been looking for!
Thanks so much
Jess
Elizabeth
January 11, 2019 at 5:37 pmI love this so much! We are getting ready to do one of these in our yard. I was searching for instructions when I came across your blog. I have seen some with branches laced around the poles but don’t entirely know how I could make that happen. Thanks so much for the inspiration.
Ellen M Bloomingdale
April 3, 2019 at 3:05 pmHow many poles did you use?
becci
October 2, 2019 at 8:02 amExactly how much time it takes to build fully
james walton
October 4, 2019 at 2:37 amI think if you do regular work on constructing it. then it takes 1 – 2 weeks to make it.
Marjorie
March 23, 2020 at 11:15 amI have several metal poles left over from a trampoline set. Would they be ok to use for the teepee.
Joe
April 3, 2020 at 3:11 pmMost instructions eschew metal poles as the entire assembly can fall down if knocked over. Light wood, especially bamboo, is less likely to injure a kid. I have seen some suggestions of aluminum, as it is light and hollow. But I would think that a natural frame would look better.
It probably also depends on how the structure is assembled. If the framework is tied together and the bottoms embedded into the ground tightly, you may feel more secure with it.
Silvia Rochefort
April 18, 2020 at 1:06 pmwow! how amazing ideas yo have “artful Parent” Thank you for sharing.
Jean Van't Hul
April 19, 2020 at 6:07 amYou’re so welcome, Silvia!
Scotney Blackburn
August 6, 2020 at 11:56 amThank you for your instructions! We are 3 months in and I am harvesting beans, peas, and cucumbers daily from my tipi!
sunil patel
August 7, 2020 at 7:30 pmHi, I like your post really I have read first-time Thanks for sharing keep up the good work.