Pole Beans growing to Much?

I'm kind of new at gardening . I bought some cages for pole beans and some have reached the top and have stems growing about 2 feet longer with no place to go but back down. Should I cut off the long stems or just leave them go?

Hi DaveWo
My pole beans have climbed up a nine foot (or so) fence, and have another four or five feet of vine coming back down. I'm leaving them be, since they have flowers and will have beans. At least I'll be able to reach those without a ladder.....
Margo

My pole beans always exceed their fence and, like catmad, I leave them. I don't think you can get a fence tall enough for pole beans that are growing right. And, the good thing is, this shows you've done things right since your beans are growing so good! Congratulations. "Too tall" is sooo much better than too short, lol.

Thank you for the replies. I wasn't sure what to do. I'll just leave them grow and see what happens.

Dave

In the future, you could have a horizontal bar between two of your bean towers; this allows the bean plant to stretch across and makes picking the (hanging) beans very easy. You should be proud of your plant.

Here's my bean setup (this pic is from shortly after planting). The beans will eventually cover the whole thing.

Excellent Zep - How tall are your poles?

I think 8 feet. I ordered them bulk from a wholesale bamboo place, and I use them for lots of other stuff too.

Very nice. I use them, too, and I think that's about the size I have. I bought a bamboo blade to cut them down to shorter lengths, but have never had the opportunity to use it. They sell the short ones at the dollar store 20 for $1, so there's just no need!

How long did it take everyones pole beans to take off? I usually plant bush beans but tried pole beans this year. Mine only have the first two leaves on them. My bush beans are bigger than the pole beans and I planted poles about a week after my bush beans. DM

Where did you find your poles so cheap? everywhere I have seen them they are so expensive. I had found one place to order but the shipping was crazy. This is to anyone. Thank you Deanna

I'm using my daughter's swing set - LOL!

deanna 8: check your local HD. Ask the fellow in the lumber department if they have any 2x2 that are warped. I got some 8' long for $1.00 each instead of nearly $3. They work just fine.

I love 2x2's for pole beans but 1x2's are good as well.

Probably can get the warped 1x2s cheap, too. Good idea. It's not as if they are warped into a big curve or anything, just a little bent, and they can't sell them for full price. Heck, the lumber guy even helped us pick more out of the stack. I got the 2x2s to support dog wire for pole beans and tomatoes.

Ok - what's dog wire?

It's fencing that has 2"x4" holes between the wires. It comes in different widths (heights?). I have seen 3' and 4'. It also comes in different gauges, heavy, medium, light. If I remember right, hog wire has 4"x4" holes. My grandmother always used hog wire. But dog wire is more available here.

IIthink I have seen that on this thread. You stretch the wire across the 2x2's and the beans Runs up it.Is that correct?

I'm sorry I think I saw the pictures on the strawbale thread not this one. Deanna

Yes, I stretched the wire between the two posts - the width of the wire - and it goes up the height of the poles (forgot that I am not eight feet tall) - I tied it to the poles with zip ties. I have to get a short ladder to pick the beans at the top. If I do it again next year, it will be shorter - Plan B. Seems there is always a Plan B in my future. But it does make an easy, quick, cheap trellis for things like that.

Karen

Thx.

I get 1x2's for $.89 each at my Lowe's

If you can use 1x2s, you can't beat that price. I had some things I would have used 1x2s for, but I found a whole bunch of 6 ft to 8 ft bamboo poles lying along the roadside -- free is my very favorite price.

1x2's in action. Glendalekid, I wish I could find free bamboo poles, but no such luck. This was the cheapest thing I could find.

kanita,

Looks great! Wish my beans looked that good. I don't expect to find free bamboo poles again, so I am glad to know that 1x2s are strong enough to do the job.

They really are. I also am using them for my spaghetti squash.