Heirloom Bean Tipis

One of my favorite bean tipis was one we designed for the Santa Fe Children's Museum.   We grew a variety of heirloom beans up bamboo poles.  The best part of this design was the element of surprise it provided for children.  When the beans were ready for harvest, children could pick different shaped pods, never knowing what was inside.  Imagine their surprise as they opened each mystery pod to find Apaloosa, Anasazi, Scarlet Runner or glowing white cannellini beans.

Bean tipis are very easy and affordable to build.   Children can help with all of these steps, if you allow enough time and patience for their participation.  They will enjoy digging, helping plant the poles, and inserting beans of all shapes and sizes into the ground.  And of course, they can help water and weed along the way, too!

1.  First, prepare the soil where the beans will grow.  Add compost and loosen the soil in a circle approximately 3-4 feet in diameter.  It's important to prepare the soil in advance as it's hard to do this once the poles are in place.

2.  To make the tipi structure, you need about 6-8 bamboo poles each 12 feet high.  Place them in the ground to form a circle (with wider spacing for the opening) to the desired dimensions.  It's nice to leave enough space for 1-2 children, as they appreciate the coziness of a smaller tipi.  Fasten the poles at the top with any kind of string, rope, or wire. 

3.  When the poles are in place, plant the beans!  It's fun to use a variety of beans.  There are also soup bean mixtures which come with a variety of beans already mixed together, or you can choose your own.  I also like to mix in some morning glories for extra color.
 
Check out the Zursun Idaho Heirloom Bean website for some interesting bean varieties:
http://zursunbeans.com/beans/

Or my long time favorite:

Seeds of Change
http://www.seedsofchange.com/default.aspx

4.  Water.  Allowing children to water gives ownership and adds excitement as they watch the beans grow.

5.  It's nice to add some kind of soft mulch or leaves inside the tipi as bedding and seating for children.

Sometimes beans are susceptible to bean beetles (yellow ladybug looking beetles, yellow eggs and larvae on the undersides of leaves).  These can be physically removed (and children will love to help with this task).  Or you can cover beans with netting during the early stages of growth.