Topic: bean poles

[qahtan]

 Gerry said this is the last year for his bean poles, so I phoned the nursery to see how much, it would have to be bamboo poles they were, 6 ft were $1.69.. 8 ft were $3 something, any way I wanted 25 poles. they only had 9 6ft and 20 8 ft,,,,,,,,,,total price for me to have 25 poles including the 6 fters, $75 some thing thats 45 pound, for a ruddy bean stick.. no there is no where are where you can cut your own.....  isnt that terrible.. qahtan

[Mr Smith]

I have a local Coppice not to far away and although people tend to use 'Bamboo' I have a nice supply of 'Hazel sticks' to use for my bean poles, I have had the same poles for four years but the forester charges an earth, :)

[daveyboi]

http://www.bambooworld.com/bamboo%20poles.htm

Maybe you could get them from there 100 x 6ft $33

[Digeroo]

They are getting more expensive here too.   Our local garden centre sells them for £1.50 so not far short of your $3.   I get them cheaper by shopping around.  Smaller thinner ones are much cheaper. 

I bought a bamboo plant to provide me with free ones, and so far have managed one cane big enough for a pea plant after three years.

[goodlife]

I used to have bamboo growing on lottie ..and just for sake of getting some 'free' canes. I did get plenty of  thin (pencil thickness) ones that was ideal for peas or flowers etc. I was rather pleased about it..saved me buying those 'flower' canes...but then the b***er decided to flower..and that was end of that bamboo..
Sparrows enjoyed their bamboo seed meal that was in plentyfull supply. Suppose all good things come to an end eventually..sad thing is that it was really nice purple caned type..I really liked it  ::) All the new plants that I supplied to friends and family out of that 'mother' plant flowered same summer too..and I thought it was just folk lore that it could happen...
I'm thinking getting another one again..it was really handy plant to have a round..I used to make disposable dibbers out of it too... ;D But if and when I'm buying new plant..I'm not going to spend much money and buying anything fancy like the last one.

[manicscousers]

We're trying to grow all our own, we have 5 hazels on the go and have replaced some of our bean poles with 8' plastic ones from B&Q , expensive but shouldn't rot or break  :)

[plainleaf]

to bad you guys are so set on using so many poles.
the simple solution is to put up frame then have the beans climb strings strung to the frame. 

[Digeroo]

Swindon used to be full of all sorts of natty devices for growing beans.  The men used to make frames out of scrap metal from the Railway Engine works.  My mother in law had a very good one with a central pole with two rings attached one at the top and a much larger one at the bottom, it then had four legs to hold it down into the ground.  She then used to thread the twine through.  It lasted most of 60 years and she grew fantastic beans in precisely the same spot for all of that time.   

[Nigel B]

Hazel sticks!


'Secret tip' shhhhhhhhh. Look under power lines where hazel grows. The power company comes along every so often cutting them to the ground so they don't foul the lines. That's where you'll find the bestest, straighter sticks.   :-X