Reid, I've seen this done before and it works. But you should probably run some strings to help the vines up into the branches. Once they grab on, they will go up however high that particular variety is inclined. Some pole beans don't grow very tall at all. Others are completely indeterminate, meaning... they sky's the limit!

I planted Tarahumara Pink Green Beans on an 18' elm in our front yard. This bean grows very rampantly, perhaps more than any other I've observed. At this latitude it doesn't bloom until the first week of September. But when it does, the whole plant turns into a mass of gorgeous pink flowers. So, I'm hoping to turn our elm into a flowering tree for just a couple of weeks!

George
Tahlequah, OK

Reed, think it will work just fine, especially if you follow George's suggestion to use some string to give the beans some direction in terms of getting them climbing up that tree trunk. Bean plants like to have something to twine themselves around. I grow pole beans on my garden fence, which is 8' tall due to a large and hungry deer population, and Rattlesnake climbs at least as tall as the fence. I grow bean plants in an area most years that only gets direct sunlight until around 1 pm and those plants flower and produce just fine. They are in dappled shade to heavy shade after 1 pm depending on their location on the fence.

While we are told repeatedly that many vegetables need full sun all day if possible, I have found that 6-8 hours of sun is more than enough for most edible crops.I also grow cucumbers and Armenian cucumbers in morning sun and afternoon shade and they do well in those conditions. Don't be afraid to push the limits in shady areas. With our intense sunlight and hot summer weather, I have found many veggies, fruits and herbs produce just fine in a whole lot less than full sun all day long.

Dawn