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  • #1

    Staking plants in a raised bed

    Hi everyone, I am new to this forum and have found so much helpful advice that I thought I should say thank you.

    Last autumn I decided to give up on my very heavy clay soil and convert to raised beds to grow vegetables instead of very tatty lawn and overgrown shrubs. I planted broad beans to overwinter and they have been successful, growing 1m tall with plenty of flowers and beginning to set beans. However now they are so tall they have been blown about in the wind and the stakes have blown with them - I think the beans have been supporting the stakes!

    I want to grow PSB but have my doubts about how they would manage in raised beds if I cannot support them firmly. Any advice would be most welcome.
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  • #2
    Hello, and welcome to the grapevine!

    I grow in raised beds because of the clay soil here and I seem to manage okay using long bamboo canes. Have you tried pushing them into the ground a bit further (not meaning to sound patronizing!)? If that doesn't work, could you maybe drive some stakes into the ground next to the raised bed and span wire between them that you can then tie your plants to as they grow?

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    • #3
      For broadies I position canes at the corners of the block and a few in between and then weave string through the plants and around the canes. A bit difficult to explain, it's very haphazard but gives them enough support. As for PSB, they are much sturdier plants and I've never needed to stake them.
      Last edited by Scarlet; 30-04-2014, 10:59 AM.

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      • #4
        My Broad Beans have to make do with a stout stake at the 4 corners with a two or threes strings run around them, at varying heights. The ones in the middle lean over against their sibblings - so I am sure that more effort would mean that they were better supported.

        Pea-sticks would be the other approach - nice branch-y sticks in & amongst them which would provide a mesh of supporting stems.

        Originally posted by Chrissytabelle View Post
        I want to grow PSB but have my doubts about how they would manage in raised beds if I cannot support them firmly.
        I put a cane in next to each plant, and tie the plants to the cane. Mine don't move, so perhaps that is a factor of the depth I put the canes in to? I can't say that I push them in "Mightily" - but my site is reasonably sheltered, if you are more exposed you might need something more robust.

        I saw on Beechgrove the other week that they were removing canes that had been supporting Holly plants (which had clearly "rocked" over the winter) with what looked to be 1" square, or maybe bigger still, posts ...
        K's Garden blog the story of the creation of our garden

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        • #5
          rather than pushing the stakes/canes in vertically, try angling them slightly into the prevailing wind
          All gardeners know better than other gardeners." -- Chinese Proverb.

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          • #6
            Thanks for the suggestions.

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            • #7
              Must be honest, my beans always fall over despite canes and string, even in the polytunnel! I obviously have a lot of learning still to do... And my PSB usually ends up bent if not vertical, although I've not tried staking it yet - half my beds are raised too, and stakes don't really go in very far. We have gravel paths in between them, so ramming posts in beside each bed isn't really an option. However, I'm going to try TS's idea of putting stakes at an angle, like you would for a tree - sounds simples!
              sigpicGardening in France rocks!

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