The beans know
I made a mistake when I planted these beans. I was supposed to plant them around the corn, so they’d have something to support themselves on.
They’re vining beans, you see; only the bush beans were supposed to go in a bed by themselves. But of course I only discovered that I’d grabbed the wrong packet after sowing the entire thing. Sigh. (It’s all right though I guess, because as I posted before the deer have now totally flattened my corn.)
After they sprouted I trudged over and collected the pile of tree-like branches that had failed as pea supports for the last two pea seasons (failed only because the peas themselves did not grow).
Third time’s the charm I guess, because the beans are climbing right up them.
I don’t know how tall they’ll get; these branches are only 4′ tall. I’ve heard rumors that certain vining beans can sometimes get taller than 10′, so most likely I’ll have to improvise another support later (I really like the maypole-looking bicycle wheel supports, maybe I’ll try and get my hand on an old bike wheel or two). But for now… sometimes old-fashioned methods really do work.