Pole Beans

This is the second year I will be planting pole beans from my own saved seeds.  So far it has been a slow start to the year.  I have had to replant the bed twice when half the seeds never came up.  The ones that did come up first are doing quite well.  They have even grown tall enough to reach over to the poles they are planted around.  The first set to wrap themselves around the pole look quite happy.

 

As filled out as they look at the bottom makes me think that the bean tipis will work nicely once they climb to the top of the poles.  I was a little worried about how well they will be able to grip the slick pvc pipe, but it looks like it won't be a big problem.  I will just have to make sure that they stay trained to the poles in the begining and the rest should work itself out.

The only other thing I have to worry about is keeping the poles tied in a tipi fashion.  We have wild wind gusts out here and the poles are so flexible that they bend until the tie slips off of one.  It isn't long after that the poles will all be waving independantly in the breeze.  I hope that once the beans take hold that the poles will be less likely to bend as far.  I may have to use duct tape or something to make sure the ties don't slip anymore.  I wouldn't want the waving poles to damage the bean plants they were meant to support.