Gurley here is a picture of my pole beans on bamboo teepees.
You will get more beans for the space alloted with pole beans than bush beans and over a longer period.

They might work with the sweet peas. You plant pole beans later in the season here....the weather and ground must be warm before they do well. If by then the sweet peas are finished it should work. They will get taller than your fence and fall over but that doesn't really hurt them or production. My teepees are probably close to 6 feet and they still can get taller. The foliage looks good all season, but the blooms will be very insignifant.

Hope this helps.

I love the pics of the bean teepees. I planted on fence panels last year but they didn't do so hot. Plus I couldn't pick beans due to c-section. Anyways I want to put bean teepee's in this summer. Question, how do you make the teepees?? Any help or ideas would be appeciated. I would like to try and make ones big enough that my 2 yr old can make forts out of them.

Stacie

Stacie, I bought a bundle of bamboo poles several years ago from Gardener's Supply (I think). I just use 4 spaced about 36 inches apart, but you could use more. I tie them together at the top about 12 inches or more down with baler twine or seagrass twine or whatever I have on hand. Old nylon stockings would work well also. I also have drilled holes in the tops and threaded baler wire threw and twisted it. These will last several seasons and can be stored intact.

I think your son would love these....be sure to use mulch around the beans and inside the teepee so he won't get too dirty!

Do you have to stick them in the ground or not. We get some crazy winds here in Nebraska and would hate to have them blow over when they are getting started.

As for the mulch, my 2yr old girl loves being outside but is afraid of the mud. She loves being barefoot, but for some reason freaks out about the mud, she thinks it is poo-poo.
Stacie

Gurley - this is a picture of peas mixed with sweet peas. I planted both in the fall. The peas came up first and the sweet peas came up later. Both looked great together. I'm not sure about beans but I'd give it a try ;-)
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ed-

Edna, are those foxglove in the background?

Edna, after seeing this picture, you shouldn't be intimidated by planting your raised beds. I love how you have planted this bed! You just do your thing in those raised beds, remember nothing in gardening is permanent....just rip it out and do it over if it doesn't work for you (after harvest).

As to the teepees, yes, I do sink them as far down as I can and even sometimes drive a steel fence post on each end and use baler twine to tie the end teepee down to it. I also link each teepee to the other with bamboo poles tied about mid height to the sides of the teepees. Hope you understand this. If you are just doing one teepee, I would just sink the poles down in the ground. I have had mine blow over and just raised them back up.....Once the beans have started up the poles, they keep them pretty well tied to the ground. I have never had them go down with the beans up the poles.

Gurley - those are foxglove. I have them up against the front of the house. The sweet peas and peas are growing up the picket fence surrounding the yard. The sweet pea aroma was heavenly.

gldno1 - I love the picture of the pole beans. What a beautiful garden.

After reading everyone's advice I have decided to keep the pole beans. I have an area that I want to screen from view and I think I will put the pole beans to work on that this year while I come up with a more permanent solution.

We have TONS of bamboo growing next door so I can use that for tee-pees. I just hope it doesn't sprout when I put in in the ground.