Original URL: http://fun.familyeducation.com/activity/plants/39461.html

Bean Teepee

Materials

• Packet of pole bean seeds
• Long stakes or bamboo

Directions

1. Prepare an area of soil about six feet square.
2. Arrange the stakes in a teepee shape, placing them in the ground six inches from the edge of the soil area and meeting in the middle overhead.
3. Secure the tops of the stakes together with string.
4. Soak the bean seeds overnight.
5. Plant the seeds according to the packet directions around the base of the teepee on the outside.
6. Water generously.
7. As the beans begin to grow tall, tie the stems carefully to the stakes.
8. In six to eight weeks, the bean plants will cover the stakes and you can play inside the teepee.
9. The beans can be eaten fresh or harvested and cooked.

Note: Scarlet runner beans are a good choice. They have bright red flowers and tasty, flat green pods. Other pole bean varieties work just as well.