Making a Bean Tepee

Question: My kids want to make a bean tepee. How do we construct one?

Answer: First, prepare the soil just as you would for a vegetable garden so the beans will grow well. To build the bean tepee you will need some long supporting pieces, and a method of attaching them at the top, teepee style. There are kits available, usually using bamboo poles and a plastic connector ring. You can easily build your own by lashing together some straight tree branches about 8 or 9 feet long. If you use longer poles, the tepee will be more difficult to erect, and the beans will be harder to pick.

Your children might enjoy working with you to pick out just the right branches. The more poles you use, the more convincing the illusion, so try to use at least six or seven supports. Splay the poles open to form the skeleton of your teepee.

Attach trellis netting or have your kids help weave string or yarn around the outside of the frame to give the vines more area to scramble over. Line the floor of the tepee with flattened cardboard boxes (your kids can decorate them with colored chalk) or a thick layer of mulch to keep down weeds. Plant your climbing pole bean seeds at the base of each pole and stand back, Jack! Thin the plants as recommended on the seed packet and help your children remember to pick the beans regularly to keep the vines producing.